


The Life of Prey

by Jemina



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Cunnilingus, F/F, Femslash, Genital Piercing, Humiliation, Master/Pet, Miqo'te, Nipple Piercings, Paddling, Pain, Piercings, Public Humiliation, Public Nudity, Sexual Slavery, Slavery, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-26 08:59:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 25,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9878321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jemina/pseuds/Jemina
Summary: After having fled from Gridania, a hopelessly klutzy Miqo'te thief tries to join the Coeurlclaw Gang. She quickly finds out that she may have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.





	1. Hunting Day

Kylia Lonavo walked back to camp with her head down. Once again, the new Coeurlclaw recruit was coming back from hunting empty handed. Her fellow recruits jogged past her, most carrying rabbits or other small animals, while a few carried a deer between them.

The blonde-haired Miqo'te never had any luck hunting. Animals scattered at the noise she couldn't help but make when moving through the brush. On the race occurrence that Kylia hadn't scared away every possible prey in half a mile, her shots were nowhere near her target. In fact, the Miqo'te's quiver was half empty, as she was unable to locate the arrows she had sent sailing into the thick forest.

Kylia was bringing up the rear of the group when it reached the Coeurlclaw camp. To her fright, Mistress Tavorn was waiting for them. The older, dark-haired Miqo'te was in charge of the recruits, and every one of them both yearned for her approval and feared her temper. Tavorn was informally inspecting them as they passed, nodding at a few excellent shot placements on the assorted animals being carried.

It was too much to hope for that Kylia would passed unnoticed, but she tried anyway. Drifting behind the group carrying the deer, Kylia attempted to make herself small enough to slink past the stern taskmistress.

"LONAVO!" Tavorn boomed, making the blonde Miqo'te jump.

All of the recruits stopped, turning their heads to look straight at Kylia. Some of them grinned, some sighed and some giggled. A few might feel bad for Kylia, but all of them were glad that the klutzy Miqo'te was there to draw the ire of their teachers away from their own minor failings.

"You little sack of squirrel shit! How many times is this now? I swear, a blind, lame, half dead hyur could poach better than you! Well? What do you have to say for yourself?" Tavorn demanded, looming over Kylia.

"My bow...I couldn't..." Kylia responded in a voice that was half whisper and half mumble.

"Your bow? Give me that." Tavorn sneered, reaching over Kylia's shoulder to snatch her bow.

The taller Miqo'te made a show of examining it for defects, then without a word, drew one of the distinctive purple fletched arrows from her own quiver, nocked the bow, and fired an arcing shot far off into the trees.

"What are you waiting for? GO GET IT!" Tavorn bellowed, taking out her short sword and giving Kylia a hard whack on her ass with the flat of the blade.

Kylia raced off after the arrow, the laughter of her fellow recruits ringing in her ears and tears trailing from her eyes. Her ass was stinging from the blow, but it was the feeling of utter humiliation that pressed on her thoughts the most.

 

Kylia found the arrow after an hour of traipsing through the woods, but as with all the ill luck that seemed to follow her around, it was buried in a tree trunk high off the ground. The blonde Miqo'te was deathly afraid of heights, but it turned out she was even more afraid of Tavorn roasting her over a campfire if she came back without the arrow.

The sun was setting just as she made it back to camp. Without delay, Kylia found Mistress Tavorn and presented her with the arrow. Luck was finally with her then, because Tavorn was drinking with some of her friends from the gang and was in a good mood.

"Found it, did you? I suppose you're not entirely brain-dead. There's a pile of tubers waiting for you at the camp stores. Peel every one of them, then make sure my bedroll is warm for me." Tavorn said laughing, then reached out to pinch Kylia in the exact same spot on her ass that she had smacked earlier.

"Yes, Taskmistress." Kylia said nodding, her cheeks blushing.

Since the Coeurlclaw gang admitted only females, it was considered normal for an existing member to choose a new recruit to "teach". The relationships were usually sexual, and recruits were not given the option of declining. Kylia's cursed luck ensured that she was chosen by the strictest and most sadistic member of the gang, Mistress Tavorn.

The blonde Miqo'te passed by the campfires of her celebrating fellows, who were happily feasting on the game they had caught. New recruits could only eat what they caught on hunting days, and Kylia's stomach had been empty all day. The smell made her ache with hunger, but Kylia pressed on. She had potatoes to peel and she wouldn't be able to even the skins.

 

Kylia was naked and waited anxiously inside the bedroll she shared with Tavorn. She had learned how to keep the older Miqo'te happy by now, but Kylia knew that Tavorn's temper could be set off by anything. It would not be surprising if the Taskmistress punished Kylia for keeping her awake with the sound of the smaller Miqo'te's stomach rumbling.

It was with a (very) small amount of relief that Tavorn showed up to the tent chewing a small strip of deer. That could only mean she was in the mood to tease Kylia, not punish her. And Kylia knew exactly how to act in order to satisfy the older Miqo'te.

It took no acting ability for Kylia to stare at the meat intently, even licking her lips. She was simply that hungry. Tavorn sauntered over, dangling the meat above her head and smirking at her.

Kylia knew from experience that Tavorn didn't have a particular outcome in mind. She could as easily give it to Kylia as toss it outside in the dirt. It all depended on how much Kylia groveled and begged. The smaller Miqo'te would have to give a good performance regardless, as an unsatisfied Tavorn would find a reason to tan her hide.

"Mistress, I'm so hungry. I know I don't deserve it, but please, take pity on me. I'll do anything for it, anything!" Kylia begged, slipping out of the bedroll and crawling closer on her knees to Tavorn.

"Anything, you say? I can think of one thing." Tavorn purred, lifting her leather skirt with one hand.

Kylia quickly scooted forward and began to lap at the older Miqo'te's pussy. The sooner she could get Tavorn off, the better. Kylia wasn't uninterested in women that way, but Tavorn the Taskmistress was definitely not the lover she would have chosen, and by the time she had found out how the Coeurlclaw gang worked, it was too late to back out. If she tried to desert the gang now, Coeurlclaw hunters would track her down and drag her back to face Tavorn's fury. Besides, the only thing waiting for her back home would be the Gridanian dungeons.

 

Tavorn, for her part, was relishing the feel of the smaller Miqo'te's tongue. Dominating her pet was immensely satisfying. The poor young Miqo'te thought she was biding her time until she wouldn't have to serve Tavorn, but the Taskmistress had no intention of letting that happen. The hopeless recruit couldn't track an Adamantoise, stalk a deaf antelope, or fight her way out of a bedroll that was cinched too tightly. But she had a nice body and was very willing to please Tavorn, provided she had the right incentive.

The recruits were set to become full members tomorrow. They weren't aware of this, but all the existing members were preparing for the ceremony. It would be the night all of them would be rewarded for their effort and sacrifice for the gang.

Or almost all of them. Little Kylia here was completely lacking in the skills needed to become a full member. Tavorn had no trouble convincing the other leaders of that. The problem was what to do about her. Kylia knew too much about the gang to ever be simply let go. If she was allowed to stay as a recruit, it would not be the message the leaders wanted to send to each of them about the need to excel. She would have to be made an example of. A dire warning of what would happen if you didn't work hard for everyone else in the gang. Tavorn had one of the most satisfying orgasms she ever experienced then, knowing that little Kylia would be serving her for a very long time indeed.

Almost as an afterthought, Tavorn dropped the scrap of meat on the ground. She had eaten all the decent parts off of it, leaving only gristle and leathery hide. Nevertheless, she watched as her pet proceeded to devour it quickly.

Life was good for Tavorn, and tomorrow it would get even better.


	2. The Tattooing Ritual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the first chapter for a friend about a year ago, and recently decided to publish it while fleshing out some of the plot I originally had in mind. Enjoy!

Kylia nervously waited with her fellow recruits in front of the Tattooist's tent. Every full member of the Coeurlclaw Gang had ritualistic tattoos placed on their forearms to show they belonged. Higher ranked members had more tattoos, and the leader of the gang, a scarred, black haired Miqo'te name Mirra, was covered with them.

Mirra rarely spoke, so it was with a great deal of surprise that she had stood up to deliver a speech in front of the recruits that morning. The quietly intimidating leader of the gang had congratulated them on finishing their training and telling them that each would receive a tattoo to mark their place in the gang. Kylia's relief at hearing that training was over was tempered by the fact that Mirra looked right at her at the very end.

Kylia waited in line as her fellow recruits entered the tent and left a few minutes later, each sporting a ritualistic design on their forearms. However, when her turn came, the guard in front held out a hand to stop her and pointed to the back of the line. Kylia slunk away and took her place behind everyone else as she heard a few sniggers. As humiliating as it was, Kylia was used to being given a hard time and silently accepted it.

After waiting for every single other recruit to be tattooed ahead of her, Kylia was about to step forward when the guard walked toward her wearing what seemed to be an evil grin. Before she could ask any questions, the guard seized her upper arm and dragged Kylia into the tent.

 

Tavorn had stood through the tattooings of a dozen promising recruits, all the while struggling to keep herself alert. She had been up the entire night preparing for this, not to mention having a very uncomfortable morning. The look of barely contained panic on Kylia's face as she was being dragged into the tent woke her up completely, however. She would have loved to begin taunting and teasing her pet right then, except for the disquieting presence of Mirra beside her.

Mirra was more than the gang leader to Tavorn. She had been Tavorn's "teacher" when she was a recruit many years ago. So persuading the scarred gang leader to approve the harsh fate that awaited Kylia was difficult. It required Tavorn to spend most of the morning in a position she thought she had left behind: that of a submissive. The stinging crop Mirra wielded with such speed and precision reduced Tavorn to a sobbing, squirming mess. It wasn't so much the physical pain, rather it was the return of every memory she had of being a new recruit helplessly under Mirra's control.

Tavorn shook her head and tried to dispel memories of the morning. This was going to be a very entertaining ritual. One that hadn't been performed in a century, and it was going to ensure that Kylia would remain her pet for a very long time. She wasn't going to let Mirra ruin this for her.

 

Kylia was quaking in her leather recruit's outfit as she dragged by the arm into the tent. Not counting herself or the guard, there were three Miqo'tes inside. Tavorn instantly grabbed her attention, but she recognized Mirra as well. Kylia didn't know the name of a red haired Miqo'te that was busy with various bottles of ink, but she was probably the tattooist.

"Strip her." Mirra ordered the guard still clutching Kylia's arm.

Before Kylia had a chance to protest, the Miqo'te guard drew her short sword and sliced the back of her leather outfit, then pulled it off in a smooth motion. Kylia squeaked and tried to cover herself, noticing a grin appear on both Tavorn and the tattooist's face. Other recruits wore smallclothes under their outfits, but Tavorn had ordered Kylia not to. Quick access to Kylia's body was more important than any sense of modesty, apparently.

"Recruit, you have failed to complete your training. In the past, failures such as yourself were dealt with harshly. Tavorn has persuaded me to bring back this practice. It has been decided that you will become Prey." Mirra said impassively.

Kylia opened her mouth to ask for some kind of explanation, but she never got the chance. After a nod from Mirra, the guard pulled her over to a wooden table. The guard and tattooist both forced Kylia down face-up on the table while Mirra and Tavorn watched. Kylia briefly struggled before a threatening growl from the guard quieted her. As scared as she was, Kylia wasn't about to fight four members of the Coeurlclaw Gang while she herself was naked.

 

Tavorn watched gleefully as her pet was forced down onto the table. Just seeing Kylia's naked body was enough to excite Tavorn, but she would be patient. There would be plenty of time for that later. Lots and lots of time. The guard, a Miqo'te named Una, returned to wait at the entrance outside.

"When the Coeurlclaw Gang was in its heyday, we owned dozens of slaves. Some were marked for personal possession by leaders of the gang, and were permanently tattooed as Prey to show that they would be slaves for life. Tavorn has selected you to become her Prey, and now you will be tattooed to show it." Mirra said without any emotion, lecturing the poor Miqo'te on the table.

Tavorn could have laughed at how the color drained from Kylia's face. She might have even joked that they would have to tattoo a blush back into her pet's cheeks. But Mirra's baleful presence made any joke seem feeble. 

"Please! You can't do this! I swear I'll-" Kylia begged desperately before Ocelotte the tattooist grabbed her chin and forced her mouth shut.

"Hunters speak. Prey does not. You may make animal noises or use gestures in the future to communicate, but speech is not allowed. Break this rule and you will be severely punished." Mirra instructed in an almost bored tone.

Tavorn felt her annoyance at the situation build. She should be the one to tell her pet this and the one to discipline her. Instead she was forced to watch as the other members of her gang had all the fun. Patience.

"Before we begin, what about her pubic hair?" Ocelotte asked, idly tracing a finger over the small landing strip on Kylia's pussy.

Before Mirra could say anything, Tavorn strode forward and took out her favorite skinning knife. Nobody touched her pet's pussy but her. Ocelotte quickly removed her hand after seeing the look on Tavorn's face.

"I'll take care of it." Tavorn growled, waiting for Ocelotte to take a small step backward.

Tavorn paused for a second to stroke Kylia's cheek before carefully shaving the hair over her pet's pussy. She had spent an hour sharpening her favorite knife just for this, and in no time Kylia's pussy was completely smooth.

Ocelotte held out a small jar full of paste gathered from the Carnithuus plant. It was a permanent depilatory but had the side effect of causing intense pain on contact until it was washed off. Tavorn dipped her two fingers into the jar and proceeded to rub it over her pet's freshly shaved pussy. She ignored the pain from her fingers and watched Kylia squirm and cry from the burning in her most sensitive area.

 

Kylia continued to squirm in Tavorn's grip until the Taskmistress finally used a wet cloth to wipe away the burning paste. She looked down and halfway expected to see her pussy red and burnt, but it looked normal. Although unnaturally hairless.

"You will be tattooed with the indigo markings of Prey. Just as Prey cannot speak and pretend to be Hunters, they cannot hide what they are with clothing. You will be kept naked at all times from this point on." Mirra instructed in a disinterested tone, as if talking about the weather.

Kylia was still in shock at what was happening. She was going to be a slave that couldn't speak or wear clothes? This was insane. Kylia knew the Coeurlclaw gang sometimes kidnapped traveling merchants for ransom, but slavery was unheard of in Gridania. And Tavorn would be the one to own her. The only thing that had been sustaining Kylia was that as soon as training was over, she would be free from the sadistic Miqo'te. But now...

Her thoughts were interrupted as the tattooist took out a steel needle dipped in purple liquid. The tattooist bent down to her neck and began the painful process of applying the tattoos all over Kylia's body. Mirra, apparently satisfying whatever role she had in the process, left the tent without a word.

 

Tavorn held Kylia down as she watched Ocelotte apply the ritualistic tattoos all over her pet's beautiful body. Her neck was heavily colored in distinct indigo bands to symbolize bindings. These tattooed bindings were connected downward by thin lines that trailed down to Kylia's tits. A swirl of indigo traveled over each breast and left the nipple uncovered. More lines went down in her stomach and kept her navel clear.

The most intricate designs were placed above Kylia's pussy. The ancient Miqo'te script for Prey was tattooed there, along with a curiously open space below, but above her pet's clit. That part would be saved for last.

Tavorn easily turned Kylia over on the table and watched as Ocelotte applied more intricate designs on her pet's lower back. The script for Prey was again applied there, and small indigo lines traveled upward over her pet's back to connect to the bindings applied to her neck.

The process had taken hours and it was a credit to Ocelotte's stamina that she never slowed in her work. Kylia suffered the most, considering she was in pain the entire time and had to remain completely still. Tavorn continually stroked and petted Kylia during the process, while occasionally tightening her grip to keep her pet docile.

It was time for the final part. Tavorn turned Kylia back over so she was face up and took the needle from Ocelotte's hand. The tattooist had opened a tiny jar of ink that seemed to shine more brightly than the ink already used. This ink was supposedly blessed by some woodland Goddess that Mirra probably knew the name of, but Tavorn did not. No matter, it was part of the ritual and it had to be observed.

The small uncovered part above her pet's pussy was going to be marked with Tavorn's name, along with the script for ownership. Tavorn had practiced this all night until she was satisfied that she could apply it properly. She could have left it to Ocelotte, but there was a reason why she wanted to apply it herself. Tavorn slowly and carefully tattooed her name and the script for ownership over Kylia's beautiful pussy. It was done.

"Do you want to know why I applied that myself, pet?" Tavorn asked, looking closely at Kylia's distressed face.

Her pet gave a small nod, still having the presence of mind to act as Tavorn wished.

"According to the old legends, if a Hunter tattoos her name on her Prey with this blessed ink, her Prey not only serves her in life, but in the afterlife as well. Isn't that sweet?" Tavorn asked, an evil grin appearing on her face.

Of course Tavorn didn't believe in any of that afterlife nonsense. But Kylia evidently felt differently, as she fainted straightaway.

Tavorn laughed and stroked her pet's cheek for a moment before grabbing the jug of water beside the table. Kylia still had a full day ahead of her and Tavorn wasn't going to let her spend it passed out. She dumped the entire contents over Kylia's face and watched her pet cough and sputter herself awake.

Today was already a day to remember, and it wasn't even half over.


	3. Training and Humiliation

"Get up, pet." Tavorn ordered with a smile.

Kylia sat up from the table and winced. The upper half of her body stung from the copious amount of ink that had been applied to her. She looked down at herself and saw that it actually looked like she was wearing a strange top that concealed nothing, least of all her nipples. 

Kylia got off the table and looked nervously at Tavorn. She didn't believe the comment about the afterlife, not really. But even the tiny possibility of serving the sadistic Miqo'te for all eternity gave her chills that had nothing to do with the water still drying from her hair.

"Turn around slowly, pet. We need to get a good look at you." Tavorn ordered again, twirling her finger.

Kylia turned slowly, so that both Tavorn in front of her and the tattooist behind the table got a good look at her body.

"Very nice, Ocelotte. You're a true artist." Tavorn said appreciatively.

"It was my pleasure. I rarely get to work on such a beautiful canvas." Ocelotte said, laughing.

Although Tavorn smiled at that, Kylia noticed her eyes narrow. Insane jealousy was to be expected from Tavorn, who had done her best to isolate Kylia and keep her from making any friends or accepting advances from any other members of the gang. She made a mental note to avoid any contact with Ocelotte in the future.

 

Tavorn retrieved a special paddle she had stowed in the tent earlier. Her pet would require some incentive to leave the tent without wearing any clothes, and the heavy oak paddle would give plenty of it. She had even drilled holes into the wood to increase the speed with which it would crack against Kylia's butt.

"Alright pet, let's go." Tavorn said cheerfully, pointing outside of the tent so that Kylia would know to lead the way.

As expected, Kylia balked at the exit. Tavorn grinned and swung the paddle hard against her pet's beautiful ass.

*CRACK*

Tavorn couldn't decide which sound was more satisfying, the sharp crack of the paddle or Kylia's surprised shriek. But aside from how enjoyable this was for Tavorn, it was important for her pet to learn to obey her instantly. Anything other than instant obedience would result in pain. And Tavorn would make sure that her pet ended up obeying her anyway. So it was that Kylia hurried to exit the tent as she was ordered.

 

Kylia rushed out of the tent with tears clouding her eyes. Tavorn's evil paddle had driven her fears of being seen naked out of her mind. Until she saw that all of the recruits were lined up outside the tent, all seemingly waiting for her to come out. Kylia immediately covered her pussy with her hands, and seconds later, shrieked again as Tavorn's evil oak paddle came down on her ass even harder than before.

"Prey do not have any modesty, pet. Cover yourself again and I'll paddle your ass so hard that we'll be able to use it as a cook fire." Tavorn hissed in her ear.

Kylia stood there, exposing herself to all of her former equals and tried not to cry. Some of them had laughed at seeing her ass swatted with the paddle, and some were eyeing her naked body and whistling. But most were looking at her with curiosity and a little bit of pity.

"Congratulations on becoming members! The Coeurlclaws have been strengthened considerably in the last few months, and your numbers will swell our ranks. We will expand our territory in the Shroud and bring back the old ways! One of which you're staring at right now." Tavorn expounded to the group, pointing at Kylia's tattooed body.

"As Mirra may have told you, this recruit failed at everything she could fail at. But everyone who joins has to contribute to the Coeurlclaw gang, however pathetic and useless they may be. So it was decided that she would become Prey." Tavorn boomed to the crowd, warming to the topic.

"Prey do not wear clothing, they do not speak, and they do not have names. Some of you may remember hers, but you can forget it now. Prey is what she will be called, because that is what she is, my Prey." Tavorn said with a laugh.

Kylia saw some of the new members respond with widened eyes and whispered conversation amongst themselves. This was obviously much more harsh than they had expected. Others smiled appreciatively and looked at Kylia more sneeringly than they had before.

"Tattoos symbolize permanence. Just as yours signify that you will be in the Coeurlclaw Gang for life, her tattoos symbolize that she will be Prey for life. There is no escape from this, and if any of you see her acting in any way that she should not be, you will drag her to me so she can face harsh punishment." Tavorn declared with a growl that chilled Kylia to the bone.

"All the chores recruits needed to do: chopping firewood, peeling potatoes, fletching arrows, digging latrines? Well, you'll still have to do some of it. But mostly you will be hunting, tracking, and stealing wherever and whatever you can. But my Prey here will be doing those chores for the rest of her life." Tavorn said with a sardonic smile, looking over at Kylia for the first time during her speech.

"Now if you don't feel like doing those chores, go out there and capture some Prey of your own. This one however, is mine." Tavorn said with more narrowed eyes, glaring at some of the new members who were looking at Kylia with a bit too much lasciviousness. Until they looked away hurriedly.

"So get to it, Coeurlclaws. Bring glory to the gang, and make sure we were right not to keep you as Prey as well. Go!" Tavorn shouted as the new members scattered to perform their new duties.

Kylia watched her former equals go and tried not to cry as despair started to fill her. Any dreams she may have had of becoming a Coeurlclaw hunter were shattered into a thousand pieces. Now all she had to look forward to was a life of toil and humiliation at the hands of the dark haired Miqo'te standing next to her. One that she feared far more than she hated, and so stood silently and waited for whatever orders would come.

 

Tavorn turned to her pet and frowned at what she saw. A dead-eyed look was on Kylia's face, and Tavorn didn't like it one bit. Her pet needed to provide entertaining reactions to pain and humiliation. This wouldn't do at all. She started by swinging the oak paddle at Kylia's ass once again.

*CRACK*

Tavorn was pleased to see the pain shocked her pet out of whatever funk she was in. Kylia looked around wildly and seemed to regain her bearings.

"I will not have your attention wander. You will be focused on pleasing me at all times. Be assured that your situation can get much, much worse if I'm not satisfied. Do you understand, pet?" Tavorn asked with a glare. Kylia nodded hurriedly.

"Alright. Now let's work on your training. Because you can't speak, I want you to learn to obey me as if you don't understand speech either. Just like any animal would." Tavorn said with a grin.

"When I snap my fingers, it means Heel. You will instantly come to my side, and if I point downwards you will get down on the ground and begin kissing my boots. I expect you do this immediately and without fail. Any hesitancy will result in a harsh paddling, got it?" Tavorn asked, relishing giving these instructions. Kylia nodded again with a fearful look at the oak paddle in Tavorn's hand.

"And if I point here, well that should be obvious. I expect enthusiasm and a worshipful desire to satisfy me every time." Tavorn said smirkingly, pointing at the space between her legs. Kylia nodded a fraction slower than last time.

"Is that a problem, pet?" Tavorn growled menacingly. Kylia shook her head quickly.

"Are you sure? Maybe a quick paddling would do you some good." Tavorn said idly, fingering the oak paddle in her hand. Kylia shook her head faster and cringed at the threat.

"No? Well, maybe you should prove it right now." Tavorn said with a dark grin, pointing between her legs and lifting her leather skirt.

 

Kylia cursed herself as a coward as she dropped to her knees and scooted forward to lap at Tavorn's pussy. She really was that afraid of the paddle in her tormentor's hand. And the fact that they were in public in front of the tattooist's tent and anyone could be watching them meant nothing if that evil oak paddle stayed away from her ass.

Kylia took Tavorn's orders to heart and licked eagerly while making excited noises in her throat, looking for all the world as if she loved to eat her owner's pussy. Tavorn's satisfied sighing was music to her ears as far as Kylia was concerned. She didn't even mind Tavorn gripping her hair and forcing her face deeper. Kylia's minor discomfort was nothing compared to a paddling she knew Tavorn was just waiting to give her.

It took ten minutes, but Tavorn came with a shuddering gasp before releasing Kylia's hair. She watched Tavorn recover from her place on the ground and wisely made no attempt to rise until she was ordered.

"That was...very good, pet. You'll be rewarded for that later. Maybe you'll get to cum tonight, or I'll get you some sweets from the cook. You'll see, it won't all be bad." Tavorn said with what looked like a genuine smile, caressing Kylia's cheek warmly.

"But now we have to go to the smith. My pet needs to be adorned properly." Tavorn said with a grin more suited to her usual personality.

Kylia couldn't help but notice where Tavorn was looking. Her nipples and pussy tingled as she rose from the ground. For now, Kylia's ass had escaped a harsh paddling and she was ashamed to admit to herself that it was the only thing that mattered to her right now.

Life was bad for Kylia, but as Tavorn had said, it could always get worse.


	4. Piercings and Sexual Payola, oh my

Kylia had never realized how large the Coeurlclaw camp was until she was forced to walk the length of it naked. She struggled with the impulse to cover herself as other Miqo'tes gawked at her, some whistling and laughing. Kylia knew that the instant she tried however, Tavorn's oak paddle would flash out and begin blistering her ass.

Unfortunately for her, the smith was located on the opposite side of the camp from the tattooist's tent. So half a hundred Miqo'tes got a good look at Kylia's uncovered nipples, pussy and ass by the time she arrived there. It was with a great deal of relief that Kylia entered the open aired smith's tent. She could still be seen by anyone outside, but she wasn't the center of attention at least.

"Hello, Ryuuna. I wonder if you could do me a favor." Tavorn called out as she entered the tent as well.

Ryuuna was a stout brown haired Miqo'te with heavily muscled arms from tending the forge every day. She dropped the red-hot short sword she had been beating and walked up to Tavorn.

"A favor, is it? Does it have anything to do with your new pet here?" Ryuuna asked, eyeing Kylia with idle curiosity.

"It does. I want her nipples, navel and clit pierced. Do you have anything silver or gold?" Tavorn asked Ryuuna, raising a hand to pinch Kylia's right nipple hard.

Her pet let out a pained whine at the pinch. Tavorn greatly appreciated Kylia's low pain threshold, as it allowed Tavorn to make her suffer without causing any real damage. Besides, her pet would eventually accept this kind of pain the way Tavorn intended; as something of a love bite.

"I do. What are you looking for, just rings?" Ryuuna asked blandly, turning to look at the metallic scraps that were piled into a corner. 

"Rings would be fine. But I think it would be fun to put bells on her. Do you have any of those?" Tavorn asked with her usual grin, twisting Kylia's nipple further.

Her pet let out another plaintive whine. It amused Tavorn to no end that Kylia had no option but to beg with her eyes and throat for Tavorn to stop, and that made it twice as satisfying to deny her pet's wordless begging.

"I don't have any bells, but I bet the trader does. Ask her for some while I shape some rings for you." Ryuuna said, taking little interest in what Tavorn was doing.

"Hmm. Do you have any purchase orders I can use? I'd rather send my pet out for them." Tavorn asked, an idea forming in her mind.

"I do. Hold on." Ryuuna said with a grunt.

The heavily muscled smith grabbed a piece of paper from a stack on a counter and wrote out a small order. She handed it to Tavorn, who handed it to Kylia.

"Take this to the trader's tent, pet. I'll expect you back as soon as possible. If I think you slacked off, you'll get plenty more of...this!" Tavorn barked at the end, swinging the paddle once more against Kylia's ass.

Her pet's shriek of pain as she rushed out of the tent made Tavorn grin yet again. She knew Kylia would rush there and back as fast as she could to avoid more paddling. The simple oak paddle in her hand gave her a tremendous degree of control over her pet, but it was important to keep the full punishment in the air. The moment she really laid into her pet's beautiful ass with the paddle was the moment she would need something new to threaten her with.

 

Kylia rushed out of the smith tent and tried to remember where the trader was. She remembered that it wasn't far, and ran in that direction. Any whistles or laughs she heard were irrelevant right now. She had to get the bells and get back as soon as she could or her burning ass cheek would be nothing compared to Tavorn's real punishment.

It didn't take her long to rush over to the trader's tent and she was relieved to see the owner was there. The trader was a blonde Miqo'te that had dyed the right half of her hair blue. Kylia struggled to remember the trader's name and was relieved to come up with Byakka. And then realized it didn't matter. She wasn't allowed to speak it anyway.

"Hello sweetie. What can I do for you today?" the blue and blonde-haired Byakka asked. A sarcastic smile indicated that she knew Kylia couldn't answer.

In response, Kylia held up the purchase order and let out an eager whine. She watched the trader take the note and squint at it intently.

"Did Ryuuna send this? I can never read her chicken scratch writing. Sorry, sweetie." Byakka said, shrugging her shoulders.

Kylia felt a wave of panic come over her. She couldn't return empty handed. But she also couldn't say what she needed. However, a tiny smile playing at the corner of the trader's mouth indicated that she may just be screwing with Kylia for fun. So she prayed she was right and let out a pathetic whine while clasping her hands in supplication in front of her. Pity was becoming her only weapon, if it could be called that. It was completely ineffective with Tavorn, but it might work on others.

"Awww, sweetie. So adorable. I was halfway expecting you to talk. I'm glad you didn't though, or I would have had to drag you back to Tavorn. So, four bells? I think I have a few lying around here." Byakka said with a sympathetic smile, busying herself by looking through drawers.

Kylia's relief was palpable, but she knew the clock was ticking. She had to get back to the smith's tent fast.

"Here you go, sweetie. Four small bells." the trader said cheerfully, holding them out.

However, when Kylia reached for them, Byakka pulled her hand back. The same teasing smile was back on her face and Kylia knew she was in for a hard time.

"But I will need some kind of payment from you. How about a kiss?" the trader asked, her eyes twinkling.

Kylia felt a twinge of fear at the thought. Tavorn would fly into a rage if she saw Kylia kissing anyone. She gave a tiny head shake in response.

"No? Well, no kiss, no bells. I'm serious this time." Byakka said simply, arching an eyebrow and waiting to see what Kylia would do.

Kylia's twin fears of being seen kissing another Miqo'te and returning to the smith's tent with no bells warred for a moment. In the moment after that, she leaned forward to give a light peck on the trader's lips. Byakka didn't seem satisfied with that however, and pulled Kylia in for a deeper kiss.

Kylia felt the Miqo'te's tongue enter her mouth and let out a surprised noise that was swallowed immediately. She was in Byakka's grip and could nothing more than wait for the kiss to end. Eventually it did and the trader let her step back but kept her hand on Kylia's wrist.

"I hope Tavorn doesn't keep you all for herself. Plenty of Miqo'tes here would love to have a taste of you. I'd pay plenty to have you for the night myself." Byakka said with a laugh, releasing Kylia's wrist.

"Well, go on sweetie. I know Tavorn isn't the most patient Miqo'te here. Good luck, and I hope your cute little ass doesn't get warmed over today!" Byakka said with a teasing wave.

Kylia blushed and turned to run back to the smith's tent as fast as she could. As humiliating as her entire interaction with Byakka was, the fact that she was desperately retrieving bells that would be used to adorn her own nipples, navel and clit was not lost on her. Not for the first time, she cursed her own spinelessness.

 

Tavorn had watched Ryuuna fashion the four rings that would be placed on her pet with a degree of interest. She had never pierced anything before, but very much looked forward to piercing Kylia's lovely nipples the most. But Kylia was taking longer than she thought to return.

Just as she decided that her pet must be slacking after all, Kylia rushed back in and held out her hand. In it were four miniature silver bells. Her pet was panting with effort and was sweating a little.

"Cutting it pretty close, pet. I'd almost decided to teach you a lesson about punctuality. But I think I'll take it easy on you for now. Aren't you grateful for my generosity?" Tavorn asked, placing the oak paddle on her belt in a spot usually reserved for a knife.

Seeing her pet nodding obsequiously was amusing. But seeing the fear and trepidation appear on Kylia's face as Tavorn picked up a piercing needle from the counter was delicious.

"It's time, pet. Hold your arms over your head." Tavorn ordered with a slight huskiness to her voice.

Her pet trembled as she held her arms high, leaving her chest unprotected. Tavorn reached out to pinch Kylia's right nipple vertically and brought the needle up to the nipple horizontally. She hesitated for a few seconds just to watch the fear in her pet's eyes build. Then in one smooth motion, she pierced Kylia's right nipple with the needle.

The shriek of pain that left her pet's lips was very satisfying to Tavorn. She grinned as she slipped the silver ring into the space created by the needle and moved to the other nipple. She pierced it in much the same way, then stood back to see the effect. Her pet's nipples were red and puffy and seemed larger than they were. She hadn't fastened the bells yet, but Tavorn was pleased at how they looked already.

Tavorn then bent down and looked for the right spot to pierce her pet's navel. After touching above and below Kylia's belly button, she selected the upper part. A second later, she pierced Kylia's navel and enjoyed the shriek that followed. It was harder to slip the ring in this time, but after a few moments Tavorn got it in. She stepped back to look at Kylia's navel and made a mental note that her pet needed to lose a few pounds to get a perfectly flat stomach.

Finally, she got to one knee and looked at Kylia's pussy intently. She knew her pet's clit was small and didn't come out often. A piercing would certainly change that. It took a few minutes of rubbing and teasing the area and enjoying Kylia's squirming and quiet moans before her clit poked out hopefully. With an evil grin, Tavorn seized it and pierced it with the needle in a quick motion.

The high-pitched, sobbing shriek that filled the tent also filled Tavorn with quite a bit of pleasure. She slipped the ring inside and saw that her pet's red and puffy clit could no longer hide. It would be permanently on display and would doubtlessly cause her pet endless humiliation.

She stood up and picked up the bells from where she had left them. It took only a few minutes with a tiny pair of metal pliers to fasten the bells to each ring. They made a pleasantly light tinkling sound when she flicked them.

"Okay pet, walk to the end of the tent and back." Tavorn ordered happily.

Her pet quietly sniffed and tried to blink the tears from her eyes as she walked to the end of the tent and back. Every step resulted in a tinkling sound, coming off evenly from all four pierced areas. Tavorn couldn't help but smile. This was getting better and better.

"Thank you, Ryuuna. I definitely owe you one." Tavorn said to the smith, who had been silently watching the whole process. An impatient wave was the only response she got.

"They look perfect on you, pet. Let's go get something to eat." Tavorn said cheerfully, reaching out to flick both nipples and laughed at the tinkling sound they made.

Tavorn couldn't help but notice the morose look on Kylia's face. That was not an emotion she wanted her pet to be feeling. This was another job for her trusty paddle. She took it off her belt and raised it up. The sight of the paddle drew her pet's attention and she saw Kylia cringe.

"You don't seem very happy with your piercings, pet. Why is that?" Tavorn asked, a threatening growl entering her voice.

Kylia shook her head desperately and cupped her nipples while making an clearly faux eager noise.

"So you like them? Which one is your favorite?" Tavorn asked, showing clearly that she was not convinced.

Her pet took a moment to decide, then flicked the bell on her clit so that it tinkled prettily.

"That one, huh? Good, that's my favorite too. I'll tell you what, pet. I'll let you play with it while we go to the cook fires to get something to eat. Aren't you glad? Tavorn asked with a grin, slipping the paddle back into her belt. Kylia quickly nodded.

Tavorn laughed with a great deal of amusement as her pet walked out of the tent in front of her, playing with the bell on her clit. Every Miqo'te they passed would notice exactly what she was doing.

Her pet had already received several doses of humiliation today, and another big one would do her good.


	5. Dinner and a Show

Kylia thought she knew what humiliation was. But that was before she walked the length of the Coeurlclaw camp playing with her clit. The tiny silver bell attached to it rang ceaselessly, telling every Miqo'te around exactly what she was doing. The laughs built and built, because even Miqo'tes that were inclined to ignore her previously now burst out laughing at the sight.

It did have a slight upside for her, however. Her clit was now much more sensitive than before. The constant fondling she was forced to do to herself excited her quite a bit. She may have even orgasmed from the stimulation if it took longer for her to reach the cook fires.

"That was a very amusing show, Prey. In the future, when I flick my fingers like this, I want you to play with yourself just like that. But no cumming. Not unless I give you permission." Tavorn ordered loudly, moving her fingers in the air in a mocking imitation of Kylia's previous clit fondling. Other Miqo'tes who heard the command chuckled.

Kylia blushed and nodded. Her excitement had subsided, and after smelling the cook fires, she noticed how hungry she was for the first time. Her stomach gave a rumble and she looked beseechingly at Tavorn.

"Don't worry, pet. You'll get some food." Tavorn said more quietly.

This time Tavorn led the way and made herself a plate full of several roasted fish and wild mushrooms. She sat down near a fire and began to eat with Kylia sitting down further away, watching her eat with jealousy. After a few minutes Kylia began to wonder if Tavorn would get a plate for her or not.

"Is that the new Prey? She's quite a cutie." A Miqo'te's voice rang out from another fire.

"Yes she is, Petra. You can look but don't touch. Not if you want to keep all of your fingers." Tavorn answered back, motioning Kylia to sit down closer to her.

Kylia did as she was ordered and saw that Tavorn had finished eating. The mushrooms were gone and so was most of the fish. All that remained were the fish tails, fish heads and bones. It was with some surprise that Tavorn placed the plate down on the ground in front of Kylia.

"Okay, pet. Eat up. I want that plate clean." Tavorn said, patting Kylia's head.

Kylia looked questioningly at Tavorn, then steeled herself for the task ahead. The fish tails were easiest, so she ate them first. Then she moved onto the bones and found them soft and easy to crunch. The fish heads grossed her out however, and Kylia found it hard to continue. An impatient growl from Tavorn forced her to begin eating one. The taste wasn't as bad as Kylia thought and there was much more meat to be found on them. She ate the second one a little more quickly and tried not to think about what the different textures in her mouth were made by.

"Wow, she really ate that. I've got some fish heads here she can have too!" came an amused Miqo'te voice from another fire.

"Thanks Serah, but my Prey eats only from my plate." Tavorn responded, patting Kylia on the head again. Kylia silently gave thanks that Tavorn's jealousy trumped her desire for further humiliation. This time.

"Good job, Prey. I'm glad you were so good at eating those. Usually fish heads go to waste, so you'll contribute to our food supplies by eating them for most meals, instead of food someone else can eat." Tavorn said loudly, to general amusement from the other Miqo'tes.

Kylia blanched and whimpered at the idea of her proposed diet, and Tavorn noticed. She fingered the paddle on her belt and pursed her lips.

"But I want to see more enthusiasm when you eat in the future, Prey. Those fish heads represent work by our fisherwomen, and they're more than you deserve. We all know you'd starve if you had to hunt for yourself, after all." Tavorn said loudly to further chuckles from the Miqo'te around them.

Kylia could only nod pathetically. As bad as her situation was, it could always be worsened by a harsh paddling.

"I'm going to speak to a few people, Prey. Wait here until I get back." Tavorn ordered, while flicking her fingers to indicate Kylia should start touching herself.

Kylia sat back on her knees and immediately started to rub her clit. She tried to block out the laughs she heard as the bell between her legs rang and rang. The individual comments that came from the Miqo'tes watching her however, were harder to ignore.

"She's definitely enjoying herself." A silver-haired Miqo'te said, relaxing and sipping a drink while watching Kylia.

"Tavorn has got to give us a crack at that cutie." A dark-haired Miqo'te said, shaking her head.

"You see the size of her clit? That would be fun to tease." A black-haired Miqo'te with purple dyed bangs said, to general nods around her.

"I bet she has a great tongue. She'd be so eager to please." A red-haired Miqo'te that looked very similar to Ocelotte the tattooist and might have been her sister.

Kylia felt an orgasm coming and momentarily panicked. She couldn't orgasm unless Tavorn allowed it, but she couldn't stop touching her clit either. Kylia slowed down the pace of her rubbing and let out a distressed whine. The cruel Miqo'tes around her quickly picked up on it.

"She can't cum, poor baby." A black-haired Miqo'te said tauntingly.

"Look at her pussy! It's dripping." exclaimed the purple-banged Miqo'te from before.

"I want to see that ass paddled hard if Tavorn catches her cumming." A blonde-haired Miqo'te said with an excited laugh.

Kylia whined louder, unable to stop rubbing as she felt her orgasm creeping closer despite her slowness. The Miqo'tes around her continued to taunt Kylia and urged her to cum. Any minute now she would, despite her fear of a paddling. Her pussy was just that insistent.

"Well now, Prey is certainly having a good time." came the voice of Tavorn behind her.

Kylia twisted her head around and was intensely relieved to see that Tavorn had returned. Now she had a chance of getting permission before her inevitable orgasm arrived. She let out a plaintive whine and scooted closer to Tavorn on her knees.

"Oh? You want to cum, Prey? I did promise you a reward earlier. But you'll have to do a better job of begging than that." Tavorn said, the evil grin returning to her face.

Kylia let out a series of pathetic whines and looked up at Tavorn's face with real desperation. Her pussy was heating up tremendously, and every time she rubbed her clit, she felt a wave of pleasure about to be unleashed that couldn't be held back for much longer.

"Okay, Prey, okay. I'll be merciful and allow you to cum, but only when I snap my fingers. Get ready. Three...two...one........." Tavorn said, clearly savoring the feeling of keeping Kylia on tether hooks and waiting for her fingers to snap.

Tavorn finally snapped her fingers and Kylia let out a very loud shriek as her orgasm crashed over her. The pleasure and heat from her pussy was unlike anything she felt before. Her vision went white and the sound around her was drowned out.

It was several minutes before Kylia recovered and noticed she had fallen back on the ground, she sat up and noticed that the laughter that had surrounded her was gone. In its place was a sort of impressed silence from the Miqo'tes around her. It was Tavorn who she was focusing on, however. Tavorn's eyes were shining and she had a strange look on her face.

"That was...something else, Prey. Come, let's go to bed." Tavorn ordered simply.

Tavorn walked to the sleeping tents and Kylia struggled to follow her. Her legs seemed weak and didn't want to support her weight. Now that her pussy was satisfied though, the familiar fear of Tavorn's paddle returned and Kylia hastened to keep pace with her mistress.


	6. The inevitable paddling

Tavorn led the way to her tent. She could hear Kylia stumbling behind her and her pet's bells made a racket. She wasn't surprised, though. Any Miqo'te that came that hard wouldn't be steady on her feet for awhile. Still, she expected her pet to keep up with her and would not have hesitated to use the paddle to hurry her along.

Her tent was one of the largest personal ones in the camp and she had no trouble moving Kylia into it. The only adjustments she had to make was getting one of the leatherworkers to make her a larger bedroll that would fit both of them and putting a water dish down on the ground for her pet to drink from.

She had heard from a trusted friend that the trader bitch, Byakka, had forced a kiss out of her pet earlier. Wisely, Byakka had decided it was time to visit Gridania again so Tavorn was unable to immediately teach her a lesson. But Kylia was not so fortunate.

They arrived at her tent and Tavorn quickly turned around to motion her pet to get on the ground. Kylia practically collapsed to her knees and Tavorn allowed her a moment to catch her breath.

"So. I heard that you got a little friendly with a certain trader. Is this true?" Tavorn asked calmly as she removed the paddle from her belt.

Her pet's eyes widened with fright and she seemed too scared to indicate a yes or a no. Tavorn frowned and stepped closer, then brought the paddle down on her own hand, so that the crack echoed out of the tent. Her pet cringed away from the sound.

"I asked you a question, pet. Is it true?" Tavorn asked, still sounding as calm as she could.

Kylia gave a frightened nod and looked as if she was preparing herself for the worst.

"I see. Remind me, are you my Prey? Do you belong to me?" Tavorn asked heatedly, her pet's confirmation enough to make her boil internally. Kylia nodded frantically in response.

"Then why are you letting other Miqo'tes kiss you? Your lips belong to me. Your nipples belong to me. Your pussy and your ass belong to me. Every bit of you belongs to me!" Tavorn finished with a snarl as her pet cringed on the floor.

"Turn around. Put your face on the ground and keep your ass in the air." Tavorn ordered, already gripping the oak paddle hard.

Kylia let out a frightened whine and did as she was ordered. Her ass was hanging in the air and seemed to invite Tavorn to vent her spleen on it. So that's exactly what she did. Tavorn brought down the heavy oak paddle with all the anger that she was filled with.

*CRACK*

Her pet let out a shriek of pain as the paddle connected with her ass and left a bright red print on it. Tavorn took a moment to appreciate the effect before really laying into Kylia's ass. The combination of the sharp cracks from the paddle, the high pitched shrieks from her pet, and the constant tinkling of her bells turned each smack into a symphony.

*CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK*

Kylia's shrieks ran together until she was sobbing incoherently on the floor of the tent. Tavorn had exhausted her anger and by the last smack, she was feeling pretty sorry for her pet. Suddenly she felt like this was might have been an overreaction. Byakka was the bitch who deserved to be punished anyway.

Tavorn returned the paddle to her belt and crouched down to start stroking and soothing her pet. She pulled Kylia up into her arms and let her pet continue to cry until her tears ceased. Tavorn stroked and kissed the top of Kylia's head and began thinking about how to talk to her about this.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, pet. I know you didn't want to kiss that Miqo'te. In the future, if anyone tries to touch you, I want you to run to me immediately and find a way to let me know what happened. Otherwise I'll have to paddle you again, okay?" Tavorn asked, using as much of a soothing voice as she could. Her pet sniffled and nodded quickly.

"I know your ass is burning right now, but don't worry, I've got something for that." Tavorn said with a smile, releasing Kylia and walking over to the corner of the tent.

The balm Tavorn had bought from Byakka earlier this morning had cost her a pretty penny, but she hoped it was worth it. It was a paste made from the Royal Kukuru. According to lore, it would cool burned and blistered skin and quickly return the affected skin to full health.

Her pet's bright red ass was still in the air, as she currently seemed to lack the courage to move a muscle without Tavorn's permission. That suited Tavorn fine, as she didn't need to order Kylia to get back in position. Tavorn opened the jar of balm, bent down, and started to rub it over all over Kylia's ass.

Her pet let out a surprised whine at the sudden coolness, but quickly seemed to appreciate the soothing relief. Tavorn was happy to have calmed her down, but knew her motives weren't entirely selfless. If this balm worked as advertised, it would keep Kylia's ass as soft and smooth and tender as it was before. So no matter how many times Tavorn brought her oak paddle down on Kylia's ass, her skin would never toughen, and instead would stay baby soft.

Tavorn would have to test it out in the morning. A surprise paddling quickie as soon as her pet woke up would have to be done. That might even be the perfect way to start every morning, as far as Tavorn was concerned. That evil thought was exciting for her, and she decided that Kylia had more work to do before either of them fell asleep.

Tavorn snapped her fingers to get Kylia's attention, lifted her leather skirt and pointed at her own pussy. She was very pleased to see that her pet, though undoubtedly exhausted from her day, scrambled forward to start licking and gave every indication that eating Tavorn's pussy was her idea of heaven.

She didn't care that her pet was only doing what she was ordered. She enjoyed the thought that her beautiful pet loved licking her pussy and was desperate to satisfy her. Besides, as Tavorn's control over Kylia deepened, it would become the truth eventually.

Tavorn closed her eyes as she leaned backwards. One orgasm probably wouldn't be enough. Tavorn would see if she was satisfied with two or if she wanted three later. Part of her wanted to see how long Kylia could keep up her worshipful enthusiasm, and immediately concluded that her pet would keep it up as long as Tavorn wanted it.

She had definitely made the right choice in forcing the younger Miqo'te to become her Prey. 

And this was only the first day they had together.


	7. The new wake up call

Kylia stretched out and yawned sleepily. Her first conscious thought was that she seemed to be making a tinkling sound. It took a moment for her to remember that it was from the bells on her piercings. Next Kylia noticed she was no longer in the bedroll she shared with Tavorn. Her third thought was that her ass was uncovered with cool air moving over it. Her fourth thought was that she was over Tavorn's knee.

"Good morning, pet." Tavorn said with an evil grin.

*CRACK*

The oak paddle that had haunted her dreams came down on her ass and Kylia shrieked loudly. Maybe it was because she had just woken up, but it hurt worse than any of the smacks yesterday. 

*CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK*

Tavorn brought the paddle down again and again on her unprotected ass, pausing each time to let Kylia shriek in pain at each smack. The musical sound of her own bells ringing in response to each smack added insult to injury.

"That worked like a charm, pet. Your ass feels so much softer than before." Tavorn said appreciatively, before bringing the paddle down again.

*CRACK*

Kylia shrieked again. She knew Tavorn loved to hear her in pain, but it hurt so much that the noise was forced out of her regardless.

The next thing she knew, Tavorn was rubbing the same soothing balm from the night before on her ass and Kylia sobbed in relief. She had an inkling about why the paddle hurt worse than before, but at that moment she didn't care. She needed the relief that it gave.

"You didn't do anything wrong, pet. I just thought this would be a good way to begin the day. It will get you in the right mindset. Plus we need a camp wide wake-up call and your shrieking would be perfect for that. Don't you agree?" Tavorn asked as she continued to rub the balm in. Kylia, who knew what was expected of her whenever a question like that was asked, nodded quickly.

"So you agree? You want me to paddle your ass like this every morning?" Tavorn asked with her trademark evil grin. Kylia had no choice but to nod enthusiastically. Tavorn would find a way to make her suffer more if she did not.

"If you insist. You're lucky you're such a heavy sleeper. I can get you in the right position so this is the first thing you wake up to every morning." Tavorn said with a laugh. Kylia mourned her previously peaceful mornings and nodded, just as Tavorn wanted.

"Go get us some breakfast, pet. I'll be here." Tavorn instructed, laying back in her bedroll to doze for bit.

Kylia got up from the floor and walked out of the tent toward the cook fires, noticing that the balm had already dried and she could feel the air moving over her ass. It was definitely more sensitive than it had been before.

Kylia tried to ignore the looks and laughs that came her way, but it was hard. She was getting used to everyone seeing her naked, but this time the entire camp seemed to have heard Tavorn paddling her. And the constant tinkling of her bells drew the eye of every Miqo'te she passed. It seemed to take forever, but Kylia arrived at the line for breakfast and endured the other Miqo'tes comments about her naked body. At least she knew that if they touched her, Tavorn probably would cut off the fingers they used to do it.

"Hello Prey. Were you a bad girl this morning? Your butt doesn't look too red though." A Miqo'te behind her asked. Kylia blushed and tried to ignore her.

 

Kylia reached the head of the line and looked at all of the food available, her stomach suddenly rumbling. The cook, a chestnut haired Miqo'te named Nauwa, gave her eggs and sausages to take to Tavorn, while her own plate was piled high with roasted fish heads.

"Sorry, sweetheart. Tavorn's orders. I can only feed you things we usually throw away. But don't worry, I have a great recipe for deer testicles for you to try later. None of these girls are brave enough to try it, but I promise, they're delicious." Nauwa said confidently.

Kylia was uncertain about whether Nauwa was being kind or not, but decided to give a weak smile to the cook regardless. Antagonizing Nauwa was an unwise move for any Miqo'te in the camp, and especially so for someone as powerless as Kylia. She took the two plates back in the direction of Tavorn's tent and did her best to not draw attention to herself. Which was difficult, as Kylia was clearly the most interesting thing around, visually and aurally.

Kylia had held out hope Tavorn was kidding about her new diet, but apparently not. It was a testament to how little food she had eaten over the last few days that not only did she desperately want to eat the eggs and sausages, but the fish heads looked almost appetizing.

She returned to the tent and saw that Tavorn had already dressed. Kylia of course, would stay as naked as she was now. Kylia placed Tavorn's food on the table in her tent, while she settled further away on the floor with her own plate. She picked at the dozen fish heads on her plate until a growl from Tavorn got her attention.

"Enthusiasm, pet. Remember?" Tavorn reminded her, fingering the oak paddle on her belt.

Kylia quickly remembered and started to tear into her fish heads, crunching them down, and all the while making satisfied noises. The taste was starting to grow on her, and if she could forget exactly what she was eating, she could pretend she was just eating fish. Over at the table, Tavorn was leisurely enjoying her much more palatable food. In no time Kylia had finished eating everything on her plate and stayed on the floor, unsure of what she should do.

 

Tavorn finished her breakfast and looked over at Kylia on the floor. Her pet seemed to be waiting for Tavorn to tell her what to do, so that's what she did. Tavorn snapped her fingers and pointed down to her boots. Her pet scrambled forward and began kissing them as she had been ordered. The display was even more amusing than normal with the sound of Kylia's bells tinkling when she crawled. Tavorn sat there for a few minutes and enjoyed the sight of her pet worshiping her boots until she spoke.

"I need to start training a handful of new recruits we just received. I'm going display you to them later on, so they know exactly what happens to recruits that fail." Tavorn said with a smirking look. Kylia let out a soft whine and continued to kiss Tavorn's leather boots.

"I need to make sure you're occupied for the morning though, so I want you to head to the woodworker's tent and start chopping firewood until the lunch bell. Do everything you're told, or I'll have to come over there to paddle you. And I hate being interrupted when I'm busy." Tavorn finished with a growl, once again fingering the oak paddle on her belt. Kylia whined again and nodded quickly to show she understood.

"Speaking of which, I think you need to be more grateful for your paddlings. I'm teaching you to be a better pet, and the paddle is essential to that. I want you to kiss this paddle every time I finish improving your behavior." Tavorn said with a laugh, removing her oak paddle from her belt.

Her pet cringed and braced herself for the smack she knew was coming. Tavorn waited for a few moments to build suspense, then brought it down hard on Kylia's ass.

*CRACK*

Kylia shrieked and her bells tinkled, as expected. Tavorn held the oak paddle out for her pet to kiss, noticing how afraid Kylia was of it. Her pet gave the paddle the lightest of pecks and drew back quickly.

"You don't seem to appreciate the paddle very much, pet. But we'll work on that later. Now it's time for you to do your chores. Hustle over there, I won't have anyone say that my Prey doesn't pull her weight around here. Go!" Tavorn said with a grin, clapping her hands.

The sound of Kylia's bells ringing as she rushed out of the tent was definitely music to Tavorn's ears.


	8. A Cautionary Tale

Kylia heard the lunch bell ringing and looked over at Aelie. The young woodworker apprentice gave her a dismissive nod and Kylia dropped the woodcutting axe in her hands gratefully. Aelie had been put in charge of her when Kylia arrived at the woodworking tent and immediately set her to chopping wood. Kylia whined for a break after an hour, but Aelie had ignored her.

Not for the first time, Kylia had felt immense frustration that she could not speak. As a new apprentice, Aelie had practically no power in the camp. If Kylia could simply talk to her, she could try to negotiate a break for herself. As it was, she could only do what she was told. So Kylia spent hour after hour chopping wood.

Her muscles ached, but Kylia still ran back in the direction of Tavorn's tent. The unpredictable Miqo'te could easily decide that taking too long to return was worth a paddling. Running caused her decent-sized tits to bounce up and down appealingly, and Miqo'tes that she passed were quick to comment on it. They could hardly avoid noticing her with the bells on her nipples ringing loudly with each bounce. But Kylia didn't care. She could take any amount of humiliation if it meant her ass would be spared from the pain of Tavorn's evil oak paddle.

Kylia arrived at the tent to find Tavorn was not there. But she immediately saw Tavorn's paddle was on the floor, along with a note on a small piece of paper. Kylia quickly bent down to read it.

"I will be there a little after lunch, pet. In the meantime I want you to get better acquainted with the paddle. You will get on all fours and worship the paddle as if it was my pussy. You will play with your own pussy as well until I return. But remember, no cumming."

Kylia whined to the empty tent before slowly getting on all fours. She did not want to kiss the paddle in front of her. The evil oak paddle had caused her a tremendous amount of pain over the last two days. But she wasn't facing the tent entrance and for all she knew, Tavorn was watching her right now. That thought propelled Kylia to start kissing the paddle worshipfully.

She began playing with her clit, causing the bell attached to it to start ringing. Two days ago, Kylia's clit would come out only when she was excited. Now though, the piercing Tavorn had given her meant that it couldn't withdraw inside her and was always on display. Any kind of movement Kylia made would cause the bell to sway and ring, meaning her attention was constantly drawn to her pussy. Not to mention the attention of other Miqo'tes.

Kylia felt herself quickly approaching orgasm and slowed down with her rubbing. When she masturbated before, it would take quite a bit longer than this to cum. But the fact that she was constantly naked, constantly aware of her nipples and clit because of her piercings, and constantly around Miqo'tes that found her attractive and did not hesitate to say it, her body was sexually charged all of the time.

Kylia could hear footsteps and conversation coming closer to the tent, but did not stop her rubbing or kissing. Tavorn had given her orders and Kylia would keep following them until Tavorn told her to stop. Anything else would result in a paddling.

"And here we are. Take a good look, girls." came Tavorn's voice from behind her.

Kylia heard gasps and whispering behind her, and it only took a moment for her to realize these must be new recruits. By now, every other Miqo'te in the camp had gotten an eyeful of her. Only brand new recruits would be shocked at seeing her.

"I think you've played with yourself enough, Prey. Bring me the paddle with your mouth and crawl over here." Tavorn ordered sharply.

Kylia struggled for a moment to pick up the paddle with her teeth, but after she succeeded, she quickly turned around and scrambled over to Tavorn. She could see four recruits staring at her naked body, wide-eyed. Two of them struggled not to laugh when Kylia's bells tinkled loudly as she crawled, and the other two were simply shocked. Kylia reached Tavorn and lifted her head to offer the paddle to her mistress.

"As you girls can see, Prey is the lowest of the low. This pathetic creature wears no clothing, does not speak, and has no name. She only eats offal that no self-respecting Miqo'te would touch. And this is her fate for life. If you fail to complete your training, this could happen to you as well." Tavorn said cruelly, taking the paddle out of Kylia's mouth.

"She was too cowardly to learn how to fight and too stupid to learn how to hunt. Pain seems to be the only thing she understands. So that is how she is taught now." Tavorn said with an evil grin, raising the oak paddle into the air.

Kylia braced herself for a painful smack and was not disappointed. Tavorn brought the paddle down swiftly on her ass, smacking each cheek once.

*CRACK* *CRACK*

Kylia shrieked in pain as her bells rang noisily. Two of the recruits who found her situation so amusing could no longer hold back their giggling, while the other two winced in sympathy. The first two recruits giggled again as Tavorn held the paddle out for Kylia to kiss.

"But I'm sure you'll have nothing to worry about. The training is long and difficult, but you girls are up to it, right?" Tavorn asked them, paying special attention to the giggling ones.

They all nodded, and Tavorn seemed satisfied.

"Dismissed. Go get something to eat, and find something productive to do for the afternoon." Tavorn said dismissively, waving them away.

Tavorn pointed down with her fingers and Kylia quickly began kissing her boots. Her ass was burning from the twin smacks she had gotten earlier, and Kylia wished Tavorn would use that balm on her, regardless of the fact that it would increase her suffering in the long term. But it seemed like Tavorn was in no rush to apply any right now.

"I didn't mean all of that, pet. I know you're not stupid, even though I think I could spend years teaching you to hunt and you'd probably never get it. But that's okay. You're not a hunter. I made sure you would be the one thing you're bound to be successful at: My beautiful, obedient toy." Tavorn said, with what passed for kindness from her. Kylia let out an agreeable whine in response.

"However, you are a complete coward. No Miqo'te with an ounce of courage would be as frightened of this paddle as you are. But that's what makes you such a perfect pet. I would have to be so much harsher if you weren't so easy to keep in line." Tavorn said with a smile. Kylia again whined softly.

"Did you like the new recruits? Younger and more inexperienced that you are, but they're already above you. They'll go on to join the Coeurlclaw gang as members. Years from now, they'll have made names for themselves. And you'll still be here, kissing my boots. But that's the perfect place for you. Isn't it, pet?" Tavorn asked with a wicked grin. Kylia could only whine in agreement.

"Oh, that's right, you never got to cum earlier. I'll tell you what, pet, I'll let you cum. But afterward, you'll get a very harsh paddling. How does that sound?" Tavorn asked, fingering the oak paddle at her belt.

Kylia took a moment to think about it and knew that Tavorn was right. She was far too frightened of a harsh paddling to ever agree to that deal. She had to shake her head and whine.

"I knew it. Well, come on, pet. You won't be cumming any time soon, but I will be. I have about an hour until I should check on the recruits, and I intend to have three orgasms by then. If I don't? You'll get that paddling after all." Tavorn said with a mocking smile, walking into her tent without looking backward to see if Kylia followed.

Kylia shivered and hurried after her mistress.


	9. A Rare Treat

Tavorn had just settled onto her bedroll, about to enjoy her pet's tongue when she looked up at the tent's entrance. Mirra had appeared there, and that alone was enough to stifle any desire she had at the moment. Tavorn scrambled up to meet her, feeling flustered. Tavorn was one of the best trackers in the camp and prided herself on the fact that she was practically impossible to sneak up on. The exception being Mirra herself, who had taught her how to track.

"Are you training the Prey well?" Mirra asked, straight to the point as ever.

"Of course. She's just as obedient as I promised." Tavorn said irritably.

"Obedient to you, I see. But Prey are meant to serve the Coeurlclaw gang as a whole. Some members have expressed an interest in playing with her as well." Mirra said calmly, looking at Kylia on the floor.

"Who has? Tell me their names!" Tavorn growled, her wariness around Mirra forgotten as her jealousy spiked.

"There are too many to name. That is why I have decided on an archery competition. The winner will keep the Prey for the night." Mirra declared calmly.

"WHAT? She's mine!" Tavorn hissed with anger.

"The Prey is not yours. You have been entrusted with training her in obedience so that she may serve the Gang. You have done your job and I will continue to let you keep her for the majority of the time. But you will bring the Prey to the competition and refrain from doing any violence there. Do you understand?" Mirra said, her subtly raised voice being a clear warning to Tavorn.

Tavorn was silent. She longed to tell Mirra to go to hell, but knew that would end poorly for her. She looked down at the crop on Mirra's belt and saw the Miqo'te leader was fingering the handle. Tavorn blanched at the sight. It was just a riding crop, and Tavorn had experienced enough real pain in combat to not be afraid of such a small instrument. But Mirra wielded it with such diabolic skill that she could reduce Tavorn to tears with it in minutes.

"Yes, I understand." Tavorn grumbled, not looking Mirra in the eye.

"Then I expect you to bring the Prey tonight. You are welcome to compete, if you wish to keep the Prey for yourself. But that is all you may do." Mirra instructed her. Tavorn nodded dismally.

Mirra left silently and Tavorn fumed. How dare she offer Kylia as a prize in some stupid archery competition! The thought of some other Miqo'te touching her pet was enough to make her boil. She walked back and forth in front of her tent for a few seconds, just imagining what she would like to do to Mirra and all the other Miqo'tes in the camp that thought they were free to put their hands on Kylia.

Well, there was only one thing to do. Tavorn strode into her tent and grabbed her bow. Tavorn could not honestly call herself the best archer in the camp. That honor went to Mirra, of course. But surely the gang leader would not compete herself. That left some of the more renowned hunters in the camp as threats. Petra, Sabine, and maybe Laria. Tavorn was not at all confident she could outshoot them, but she had all afternoon to practice. So that's what she would do.

"Don't leave the tent, pet. Take a nap, play with yourself, I don't care. Just stay here." Tavorn instructed her irritably.

Her pet gave a soft whine in response and Tavorn suddenly felt the desire to vent her spleen. Kylia's ass was the perfect outlet for relieving her anger, but she didn't have the time. She needed to get as much practice in as possible, and Tavorn's anger would fuel her anyway. But she made a mental note to give her pet a paddling as soon as possible.

 

Kylia watched the entire exchange with amazement. She had thought Tavorn wasn't scared of anyone, yet Tavorn was clearly intimidated by Mirra. Not that Kylia could blame her. Mirra scared her too. Kylia could take no pleasure in the conversation, however. Whenever Tavorn was angry or frustrated, even when Kylia had done nothing to cause it, she was likely to take it out on Kylia's ass.

So she preemptively cringed when Tavorn strode angrily back into the tent, but her mistress didn't seem to have any time for that. She took the large hunting bow that was on a hook over their shared bedroll and walked back to the tent entrance.

"Don't leave the tent, pet. Take a nap, play with yourself, I don't care. Just stay here." Tavorn instructed, clearly focused elsewhere.

Kylia let out a quiet whine in response but regretted it immediately after it caused Tavorn to pause before leaving. She cringed and got lower on the ground, but Tavorn seemed to remember whatever had taken her focus to begin with. Her mistress growled and practically stomped out of the tent.

Kylia was tired from the morning she had spent chopping wood, but found it difficult to nap. It was hard to fall asleep when it was likely that she would wake up to a harsh paddling. She hadn't gotten anything to eat for lunch either, though Kylia wasn't too bothered by that, considering her diet.

She ended up playing with herself lightly as Tavorn had told her. It was quickly becoming her most entertaining activity. And at least inside Tavorn's tent, she wouldn't be humiliating herself while doing it. Aside from anyone that could hear the bell ringing from her clit of course.

 

It was hours later when Tavorn returned. The sun was setting and her mistress looked sweaty and annoyed. Kylia noticed two fingers and a thumb on Tavorn's right hand were red and blistered. Those were the fingers that would hold the arrow being drawn on a bow. Kylia's own fingers would hurt after a dozen draws on a bow, and she could vividly remember a past episode where she complained to another recruit about it, only to be heard by Tavorn behind her. Tavorn had (figuratively) dressed her down in front of all the recruits, saying that if Kylia was too delicate to keep practicing her archery, she could wait until the rest of the recruits were done practicing and go retrieve every arrow that was fired.

Kylia inwardly frowned at the memory, wondering why she had never noticed that Tavorn was always paying special attention to anything she did or said. She thought she was just unlucky, but Tavorn was clearly fixated on her from the beginning. And now her mistress had apparently spent the entire afternoon shooting arrows just so that she wouldn't have to let some other Miqo'te have Kylia for the night.

Kylia crawled forward and began kissing Tavorn's boots without being ordered to. She gave a shy smile to her mistress, who seemed surprised. Tavorn gave her an uncertain smile in response.

"Did you stay here like a good pet?" Tavorn asked her, placing her bow on the table. Kylia nodded quickly.

"I see. You never got to cum earlier, and I think you deserve a special reward, pet. Lay back on the bedroll." Tavorn ordered, her voice becoming husky.

Kylia did as she was ordered and was surprised to see Tavorn had crouched down at her feet. She was twice as surprised in the next moment, when Tavorn grabbed her legs and lifted them up so that her head was between them, then pulled her closer so that Kylia's upper thighs were on both sides of Tavorn's head.

"Play with your nipples, pet. You can cum whenever you want to." Tavorn said with what seemed like a genuine smile.

Kylia immediately started to play with her nipples, pulling on her piercings lightly so that the bells tinkled prettily. She gasped loudly as Tavorn's tongue began to tongue her pussy gently. Kylia had given Tavorn oral sex plenty of times before, but had never received it. So the sensation of the Miqo'tes tongue moving over her pussy was entirely new to her. In a very short time Kylia was ready to cum, despite her desire to prolong the experience. Tavorn was honestly not the best at doing this, probably because she was just as inexperienced at giving oral as Kylia was at receiving it. But Kylia's pussy was already primed from her previous light rubbing.

With a loud shriek that had an entirely different sound than the shrieks Kylia normally made, she came hard. Several minutes of dizzying pleasure had passed before she remembered where she was. Tavorn was still holding her by her legs, apparently enjoying the sight of Kylia squirming and moaning. As soon as she realized Kylia had been brought back to Eorzea, so to speak, Tavorn dropped her back onto the bedroll.

"I hope you enjoyed that, pet. You won't be getting that too often. I just thought...since tonight..." Tavorn trailed off, her smile at the beginning having faded by the end.

Kylia didn't know what kind of sound to make, as she was unsure of Tavorn's current mood. She simply stayed silent and waited for her mistress to give some indication of what she should do. Tavorn stood equally silent for a moment, then nodded her head and picked up the bow from the table.

"Alright pet. Let's go." Tavorn ordered with a tight look on her face, and walked out of the tent with Kylia close by her heels.


	10. On display for the night.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of a painful and humiliating night for Kylia. And maybe in her own way, for Tavorn.

As Tavorn strode through the camp toward the cookfires, she found herself wishing she had pushed harder for a collar for her pet. When she first came to Mirra with the idea of turning Kylia into Prey, Mirra had vetoed her idea of welding a permanent iron collar onto Kylia's neck. It wasn't a part of the old enslaving ritual. Tavorn was feeling unfamiliar pangs of nervousness in her stomach at the thought of losing the competition, and felt that if she could have had a secure grip on a leash attached to her pet's neck, then she would have felt much better.

Her pet was doing a good job of avoiding the gaze of any of the Miqo'tes they passed, as well as minimizing the tinkling of her bells. In the circumstances, Tavorn might have wanted her pet to cover herself up as best as she could, but was impressed by the fact that Kylia made no attempt to cover her naked body. Her pet was following her orders very well, and that pleased Tavorn quite a bit. It wasn't like Tavorn could show approval in public, however. In fact, the need to humiliate and debase her pet only increased because of it.

 

Kylia kept her eyes on the ground as best she could. She could tell Tavorn was in a strange, prickly mood. Meeting the eyes of a Miqo'te who might want to compete for her in the archery competition could very well set Tavorn off. From the conversation Kylia had overheard, Mirra had forbidden her mistress from harming anyone before the competition. 

For reasons Kylia didn't fully understand, she felt herself wanting to protect the sadistic Miqo'te that had enslaved her and caused her quite a bit of pain. Why? Kylia couldn't come up with an answer. All she knew was that she felt oddly connected to Tavorn now, as if her mistress's welfare was somehow her responsibility.

 

Tavorn reached the cookfires and saw several Miqo'tes working on a strange harness-like device. Ropes and a cut log hung in between tall poles arrayed in a triangle. One of the Miqo'tes, a cheerful straw-haired forest trapper named Talim, waved them both over.

"Like it? Mirra asked for something to keep the Prey displayed for everyone to see tonight." Talim said, gesturing toward the harness.

It took a few moments for Tavorn to realize how it worked. Then she understood. Tavorn smiled at Talim and motioned her pet forward. Kylia slowly walked up to the harness and paused, clearly not understanding how it worked. Well, Tavorn knew that her pet wasn't particularly clever. She just had to be obedient and entertaining.

 

Kylia awkwardly stood in front of the contraption, not knowing how exactly she was supposed to sit on it facing in this direction, when Tavorn shoved her hard into it. Kylia stumbled forward, pitched over the hanging log and shrieked as she saw the hard ground coming up to meet her face. Before she could face-plant though, Tavorn had taken a hold of her hips and stopped her movement. Kylia only had a couple of seconds to sigh in relief when she felt an impatient slap on her ass.

"Hands!" Tavorn growled at her.

Without conscious thought, Kylia raised her arms and offered her wrists to Tavorn. As Tavorn tied her wrists together behind her back with some of the hanging rope, Kylia started to realize how she was going to be displayed. They seemed like they were going to leave her hanging in the air with her head down and her ass fully on display. Humiliating, to be sure, but Kylia was used to being humiliated by now. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the end of it.

Kylia winced in pain as Tavorn suddenly grabbed her hair and pulled her head up until she was facing forward with her back arched uncomfortably. Tavorn then gathered Kylia's hair into a ponytail and attached something to it, some kind of metal clip. The metal clip was attached to one of the ropes, which was in turn tied very tightly onto the ropes binding her wrists.

With a feeling of deep dread, Kylia realized that her upper body was bound in this awkward position. She could move her legs around, which caused her to sway in the harness, but nothing above her thighs. Kylia's wrists were bound behind her, and a short rope attached from her wrists to the metal clip in her hair meant that Kylia was forced to keep her head up. This meant that her tits were fully displayed as well as her ass. But humiliation wasn't on Kylia's mind. It was the fact that most of her weight as now centered on her lower back, which was already twinging painfully. How long would Kylia have to hold this position?

"Excellent work. Tell Nauwa I said you could have some of the Bacchus wine we took from the last caravan." Tavorn said with a tight smile.

Kylia watched the three Miqo'tes go out of the corner of her eye, as she couldn't move her head an inch. She could only whine softly to Tavorn, who looked down at her with a pleased expression. Her mistress reached down and flicked Kylia's nipples so that the bells attached there tinkled prettily.

"I have to eat up before the competition, pet. Don't worry, I won't let any of these mangy cats have you." Tavorn said softly, planting a kiss on Kylia's forehead.

Kylia watched Tavorn walk away toward the cookfires. Having eaten nothing all day, Kylia had rather been looking forward to eating either her usual roasted fishheads or the dubious recipe Nauwa might have come up with. By now she didn't complain, even to herself, though. She knew that her mistress would feed her when she felt like doing so. 

Kylia herself was left to struggle to process the different sensations she was feeling, from the pain of her bondage, to the growling hunger of her empty stomach, to the odd fluttering warmth that spread through her at her mistress's kiss.


	11. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the Miqo'tes get some hands-on experience with their possible prize

Kylia forlornly watched as Tavorn ate with some of her fellow Coeurlclaws. The pangs from her empty stomach were the only distraction she had from the slowly growing pain in her lower back. She squirmed with her legs every few seconds, just trying to find some way to relieve the pressure, but it was useless. The ropes Tavorn had bound her with were stretched tight and there was nothing she could do.

 

Tavorn joked with some of her fair-weather friends in the camp, trying to disguise how hollow her laughs were. She determinedly avoided looking at her pet, all trussed up in the harness at the edge of the fires. Tavorn could not indulge any of the feelings simmering inside her right now. Not among the cutthroats of the Coeurlclaws, for whom emotional outbursts were seen as weakness. As they should be. 

Tavorn knew she could let down her emotional guard with exactly two Miqo'tes: Kylia and Mirra. Her pet had no choice but to accept Tavorn as she was, and after many humiliating episodes in the past, she had nothing left to hide from Mirra. But none of the vultures surrounding her could know that her obvious jealousy when it came to Kylia was anything more than the greed they all possessed to one degree or another.

 

Kylia squirmed hopelessly in the harness as she saw more Miqo'tes arrive. Mirra had sat down right next to Tavorn and engaged her in conversation. She was too far from the cookfires to make out any individual word, but Tavorn's glum expression made it clear that her mistress didn't like what she was hearing.

Some Miqo'tes who had finished eating had gotten up and were walking towards Kylia. Maybe it was because they felt more confident that Tavorn would not leap up and attack them with Mirra there.

A magenta-haired Miqo'te with many rings in her ears was the first to reach her. The Miqo'te held the sides of Kylia's face with both hands and raised her upwards so that Kylia was looking up at her. The tightness of her bonds meant that Kylia's whole body shifted, and she winced in pain at the additional strain on her back.

"She's got a pretty face. Nice eyes. Let's see your smile, sweetling." The magenta-haired Miqo'te said, looking at Kylia with distinct interest.

Kylia gave a shaky smile, hoping that the Miqo'te would be satisfied. She got her wish a moment later as the Miqo'te let her face go. Kylia sighed in relief as settled back into her original position. It was still painful, but not as bad as before. Kylia only got a second to appreciate it before a Miqo'te behind her started to squeeze her ass.

"Every time I hear Tavorn paddling her, I wish I had a little plaything of my own. Maybe after tonight, I will." The unknown Miqo'te behind her said, chuckling.

"Don't count on it, Yewa. I think the only archer here worse than you was the Prey." The magenta-haired Miqo'te said dismissively, now pinching Kylia's nipples.

"We can't all spend our days testing out new bows, Sabine. Some of us have to fish for the gang. Spread your legs, now." Yewa said, directing the last part to Kylia and puncuating the order with a slap to Kylia's inner thighs.

Kylia blushed as she did as she was told. Though she couldn't see Yewa behind her, Kylia knew Yewa was getting a clear look at her pussy. Sabine didn't seem to like Kylia's attention not being on her, however, because the magenta-haired Miqo'te started to pull up on the bells attached to her nipples.

Kylia's eyes clouded with tears as her body was pulled upward again, this time by her nipples. She whined loudly at the pain she felt, both from her nipples and her lower back, but this only seemed to please Sabine. The magenta-haired Miqo'te bent down and whispered into her ear.

"Soon, sweetling." Sabine said, a wicked glint in her eye.

 

Tavorn was barely keeping herself from drawing her dagger, even with Mirra right next to her. Tavorn silently vowed, over and over again that later on, Sabine would pay for what she was doing to her pet. But that silent mantra wasn't enough to satisfy her anger. Perhaps Mirra sensed this because the Miqo'te leader stood up without warning.

"The competition is about to begin. Grab your bows and arrange the targets." Mirra called out in a tone quieter than the general chatter around her and yet she managed to cut through it all.

Tavorn stood up immediately afterward. Sabine had let her pet go after the announcement, but not before blowing a kiss to Kylia. Tavorn added that to the quickly growing list of outrages that would be avenged, sooner or later. 

Yewa too would pay, though not as dearly. The black haired Miqo'te was an excellent fisher, but was one of the worst archers in the camp and was not a threat. Yewa's slight transgression of touching her pet's ass would be corrected, but Tavorn understood. Kylia's bubble butt was very tempting.

 

Kylia gasped with relief as Sabine let her go. The sharp pain in her nipples faded, and the pain emanating from her lower back returned to the dull ache she had accepted as tolerable in comparison. Sabine blew her a kiss before turning away, presumably to get her bow.

She had only just met Sabine, but Kylia fervently wished that Tavorn would beat her. The pain her mistress regularly caused her had a different feel than the casual cruelty that Sabine displayed, and Kylia had no wish to ever be alone with the magenta-haired Miqo'te.

Miqo'tes walked past her, carrying some of the straw targets the recruits used during archery practice. They placed them somewhere behind her, and it seemed like Kylia wouldn't get to actually see the competition herself, which was a little disappointing. But all that mattered to her was that her mistress won.

 

Tavorn waited while the targets were set up. Her first impulse was to go over to her pet, but she clamped down on it. There were far too many Miqo'te around for Tavorn to risk it. Best that they assume the Prey was nothing more than a valuable prize Tavorn wanted to keep for herself.

Obsessively checking her bow was a good way to focus and let go of her anger. Tavorn needed to be as calm as possible when it was her turn to shoot. The fact that Mirra had given her time to settle herself by making her one of the last to shoot would help. But Tavorn couldn't relax until she and her pet were sleeping together in their shared bedroll.


	12. The first bullseyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The archery competition begins!

"Welcome to the competition. This will determine who has the best archery skills in the camp, and the winner will receive the Prey for the night, to do with as she wishes." Mirra announced in her calm, even tone.

Kylia was surrounded by sitting Miqo'tes. Most of them looked directly at Kylia when Mirra finished her statement. Unfortunately, Kylia had no such freedom to look around. She was trussed up in the same painful position she had been in for almost an hour. Kylia was tied facing forward over a cut log, with her wrists behind her and her back arched so that both her naked ass and tits were fully on display. She had also been bound facing away from the targets so that Kylia was the only person in the camp who was unable to watch the competition in which she herself was the prize.

"Each member will get five shots. For every bullseye you hit, you are allowed to paddle the Prey once." Mirra said to general clapping and whistling.

Kylia gulped and felt herself start to sweat. How many paddlings was that going to be? Just a half dozen from Tavorn would reduce her to a shrieking mess. especially after her mistress had applied that Kukuru balm to her super-sensitive ass. Even now, Kylia could feel a very slight breeze moving over her raised ass, where she couldn't feel it anywhere else.

"But I don't want to see anyone wasting the gang's time. This will be a display of skill and not incompetence. If anyone misses the target entirely, they will be denied rations for the following day." Mirra said, which tamped down on the enthusiasm of the Miqo'tes behind her.

That might help a little. Out of the corner of her eye, Kylia could see some Miqo'tes frowning. Those Miqo'tes who were not particularly skilled with their bows seemed unwilling to give up their food for the barest chance of winning Kylia.

"Those are the rules. Who wishes to compete?" Mirra asked the gang.

Kylia could only see maybe a dozen Miqo'tes in front of her, as the rest were sitting closer to the targets. Two of them raised their hands and stood up. Both of them looked at Kylia with amused smiles as they walked past her, and one of them flicked one of Kylia's nipples so that the silver bell attached to it tinkled quietly. Kylia could hear more movement around the campfires behind her. It sounded like more than a dozen Miqo'tes had stood up. Kylia's fear increased, and she couldn't keep herself from squirming her legs around in the harness, as if this would do anything more than cause her ass to jiggle attractively.

 

Tavorn gripped her bow tightly. Moments beforehand, she had been forced to give the carved oak paddle she carried on her belt to Mirra, who now held it loosely at her side. Counting herself, fifteen Miqo'tes had chosen to compete. That was more than Tavorn was expecting, but the number wasn't important. It was the particularly skilled hunters in the camp who worried her, and two of them were among the contestants. Petra and Sabine had indeed chosen to show off their skills, and both were shooting before her.

The first contestant was, amazingly, Yewa. The thick-skulled Miqo'te was a patient and skilled fisherwoman, but simply could not be taught how to shoot. In defiance of anything her teachers said, Yewa would draw her bowstring as far back as she could before letting go with a powerful shot. Unfortunately, the power of her shots meant that the arrows had pathetic accuracy, and indeed, many Miqo'tes quickly moved away from the edges of Yewa's line of sight.

Yewa's first arrow careened off into the trees more than 15 feet from the straw bullseye arranged 70 meters away. Laughter rang out among the watching Miqo'tes as Yewa drew her bowstring again, but Mirra didn't seem to be amused. She walked directly over to Yewa and fixed the Miqo'te with a withering look.

"Did I not tell you to refrain from wasting our time? Sit down." Mirra said in a distinctly cold tone, one that sent shivers through most of the Miqo'tes watching.

Tavorn watched as Yewa hung her head and returned to her seat. Sympathy was not something that Tavorn generally felt, but she decided that Yewa could be forgiven for touching her pet out of turn. Humiliation in front of everyone in the camp was one of Tavorn's great fears, and was one of the reasons why she was so quick to dish it out to those weaker than her. After all, if someone else was the focus of scorn, then Tavorn wouldn't be.

Next to shoot was a young brigand named Freya. Tavorn knew she had quite a bit of talent, but lacked the temperament of an archer. She was always rushing her shots. Had Freya taken a few deep breaths before loosing her arrows, she might have been a threat. As it was, Tavorn wasn't expecting much.

 

The fact that Kylia could not see what was about to happen made things even more difficult for her. She didn't know who was shooting and could only use her ears to try to understand what was happening. A quiet thrum was the only sign Kylia had to know that a shot had been loosed. Polite clapping followed the first two shots, which she took to mean that the arrow had hit the target but missed the bullseye in the center.

Much louder clapping and whistles rang out after the third shot, however. Kylia felt a thrill of fear in her stomach, and the feeling leaped in intensity as more claps and whistles rang out at the fourth shot. Rueful groans and a few headshakes that Kylia could see from the sides of her vision let her know that the unknown Miqo'te had at least missed with her last shot.

Kylia was trembling in her bonds. Her upper body was too tightly bound to move, while her lower half squirmed helplessly as she heard a Miqo'te walking towards her.

*crack*

Kylia would have flinched if she could have at the sound of the Miqo'te slapping Tavorn's evil oak paddle against her palm. The Miqo'te had stepped around until she was parallel to her, and Kylia could barely see her out of the corner of her eye. All she could tell was that the Miqo'te was fairly young, and was holding the paddle with both hands. The Miqo'te reared back with the paddle but took her time before striking, seemingly enjoying the sight of Kylia's fear. She knew her heart was fluttering in her chest as she helplessly let out a plaintive whine.

*CRACK!!*

Kylia's eyes flew open wide as her breath was initially stolen from her. The sharp burst of agony that raced from the place where her sensitive ass was struck with the paddle into her brain overwhelmed her senses, and it took a moment for her to let out a somewhat ragged shriek. Kylia was distantly aware that she was moving back and forth in the harness now, as the force of the swing had propelled her forward. The tinkling of her bells as she swayed, as well as the clapping around her, was oddly distant.

*CRACK!!*

This time, Kylia let out a louder shriek as the paddle hit exactly where it had the last time, on the place where her ass connected with her inner thighs. It was the most sensitive place on her ass, and the pain she felt from there dominated her thoughts. Kylia could only squirm around and wish desperately that someone would apply the cooling Kukuru balm to her burning butt, despite the fact that it would only make the next strike feel worse.

 

Tavorn had to return her bow to its sheath on her shoulder. Otherwise, she ran the risk of breaking it. Although Tavorn burned with the desire to deal punishment to Freya in a very gruesome way, she knew she had to pace herself. Other Miqo'tes would undoubtedly get their chance to paddle her pet, and Tavorn couldn't afford to explode in anger at all of them. Eventually, they would pay. But not now. The only distraction Tavorn had was the fact that seeing Kylia in pain, even though she herself was not dispensing it, was making her a little excited.


	13. Petra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of Tavorn's biggest rivals get her shot.

Kylia drew a shaky breath. The last three Miqo'tes to take their turn had only scored four bullseyes between them and that meant four very hard smacks to her ass. Kylia knew it could have been worse for her, but there were plenty more Miqo'tes waiting to go. None of them so far had done any better than Freya, and for that Kylia was deeply thankful.

An upturn in the noise around Kylia distracted her from the smoldering pain from her ass. Miqo'tes who had been watching the competition with middling interest now had their undivided attention on the Miqo'te up to shoot. Kylia groaned quietly, knowing this meant nothing good for her.

 

The early chaff had been dispensed with. With all the practice she had done earlier, Tavorn could have hit three bullseyes with her eyes closed. Nothing had given any cause to worry so far, but now Tavorn's eyes narrowed as she saw Petra step up. The silver-haired hunter was quite famous for her exploits in the Twelveswood.

A year ago, a wave of sickness had spread through the Coeurlclaw camp. A fever had bedridden a number of the Coeurlclaws there. A rival gang, the Redbellys, noticed the lack of Coeurlclaw patrols and sentries. Always on the lookout for weakness to exploit, they had sent their own members to occupy areas of the forest that had always been under Coeurlclaw control.

Tavorn was all for forming a war party to take these sites back, but Mirra overruled her. Bloody confrontations between the gangs were best avoided. In the past, gangs had launched attacks on one another, trying to drive out all competition in the Twelveswood. However, the only thing they accomplished was to leave themselves vulnerable to the Wood Wailers.

Instead, the gangs had a tradition of sending out champions to duel each other. Being bandits and not soldiers, the champions would stalk each other through the forest, the winner being the most skillful and cunning. Petra was selected to represent the Coeurlclaws, while an infamously bloodthirsty Miqo'te named Anat was sent by the Redbellys.

It had taken the better part of two days, but Petra had returned from the forest holding a pair of Miqo'te ears pierced with Anat's golden skull earrings. The Redbellys withdrew that night, and Petra, even though she declined to say what had happened, never needed to buy her own drinks after that.

So it was with a degree of trepidation that Tavorn watched Petra unlimber her bow. Petra nocked an arrow to her bow and released it with a smooth motion that Tavorn grudgingly envied. Unsurprisingly, it hit the target dead center. The applause that broke out at this was much louder than any before. Petra was quite popular with many of the younger gang members, most of whom held her in hero status.

Tavorn did her best to show no reaction as Petra hit her second, third, fourth, and fifth bullseyes. All around her, Miqo'tes had risen from their seats to cheer Petra on, especially after she hit the last one. Tavorn watched as Petra bowed to her adoring fans before grabbing Tavorn's oak paddle off of the last Miqo'te to hit a bullseye.

 

Kylia was doing her best not to hyperventilate. This Miqo'te had hit all five bullseyes? It couldn't be. Her ass couldn't take five straight paddlings. Not in the way she had been getting it. Each Miqo'te seemed to want to top the one who had paddled her before, and the last one swung the paddle so hard that Kylia was propelled forward far enough to cause an alarmingly sharp pain to develop in her lower back.

The Miqo'te who hit all five bullseyes had reached her, and unlike the others, she stepped in front of Kylia's vision first. It was Petra! 

Like most of the recruits, Kylia had a minor crush on the beautiful, silver-haired Miqo'te. Kylia remembered excitedly retelling the tale of Petra running rings around an escaped Dullahan from Amdapor Keep to some of the other recruits when Tavorn, in a foul temper, ordered her on watch for the night. She remembered being puzzled at the almost hurt expression on Tavorn's face but got moving quickly in case another punishment was heading her way. Sometimes Kylia used to fantasize about Petra defending her from Tavorn's cruelty. The irony of her current situation was not lost on her.

"Don't worry honey. I don't want to hurt you. I just want a kiss." Petra said coolly, cupping Kylia's face with her hands.

The next thing Kylia knew, she was being kissed deeply by Petra. Kylia opened her mouth as soon as she felt Petra's tongue against her lips. Not by any conscious desire to do so, but Kylia was so mentally fatigued that her body was reacting quicker than her mind did. Obeying the will of those above her, which was everyone now, in order to avoid pain was fully ingrained in Kylia. If kissing Petra back helped her avoid a paddling, then there was no question she would do it. Kylia quickly met Petra's insistent tongue with her shyer one.

As Petra continued to kiss her, Kylia heard wolf-whistling around her, as well as some grumbling. Many of the younger members did not appreciate Kylia receiving this attention, and if she had been a little more aware, Kylia would have realized that she was not building goodwill among people that were in a position to harm her in the future. But those kinds of thoughts buzzed futilely outside of the warm bubble forming in her head, where Kylia enjoyed the only pleasant feeling she had gotten tonight.

 

Tavorn blinked rapidly, trying to clear the suddenly red tint to her vision. She had been prepared to watch her pet being harshly paddled by Petra. But this mangy bitch was kissing Kylia right in front of her. Despite willing herself to stay still, she took an unconscious step forward, reaching for her favorite dagger.

A firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. Tavorn turned, already baring her teeth at whoever was foolish enough to touch her, when she saw that it was Mirra. Well, Mirra could try to stop her if she wanted to. Tavorn was going to make Petra pay for this insult, right here and now. It was with some surprise that Mirra let go of her shoulder, only to bend forward to whisper into Tavorn's ear.

"Calm yourself, Tav. It's okay. Calm yourself." Mirra said to her very quietly, in a slightly gentler tone Tavorn recognized from their previous interactions.

It was the soothing mantra Mirra used with her after punishing Tavorn with her crop. Tavorn was a wild recruit when she was young, constantly getting into vicious fights with her fellow recruits and ignoring the instructions of the older members. Tavorn was convinced that her skills outstripped everyone there until Mirra herself stepped in. It took more than a month of painful instruction before Tavorn was no longer her violent, erratic self. Privately, Tavorn was grateful that she had better control of her anger after Mirra's ministrations.

The mantra which always helped stop the flow of Tavorn's hot, angry tears was helping her now. Slowly Tavorn's vision cleared and her breathing slowed. Her anger at Petra didn't vanish or even lessen. But Tavorn was able to gain some distance from it and it was enough to keep herself under control. She met Mirra's gaze for a split second, then stepped back where she was standing previously. Thankfully, everyone else was too busy looking at Petra and Kylia's by now excessive make-out session to notice any odd behavior from Tavorn.

Petra finally broke the deep kiss she had been sharing with Kylia, and Kylia sagged slightly in her bonds. She quite enjoyed the kiss she shared with Petra, but now that it was over, her fears returned. What would Tavorn think about it? She had flown into a rage when she heard Byakka had kissed her. Honestly, Kylia was surprised that Tavorn hadn't attacked Petra already. But she could see nothing behind her, so Kylia had no way to tell what was happening.

As Petra walked past her, Kylia could see her lift the paddle. She let out a plaintive whine, expecting a smack, but instead, Petra simply rested the paddle on top of Kylia's reddened ass. A few claps were heard because of this, seemingly from the handful of Miqo'tes that had no interest in seeing Kylia punished.

 

Tavorn added Petra's name to the crowded list of grudges in her head, but that was mostly to distract her from the fact that seeing her precious pet being kissed had excited Tavorn in a way that she couldn't explain. It was something to be pondered later, maybe, but now Tavorn had to work toward calming herself once again. She was not going to lose this competition, no matter what. That meant she had to match Petra's five perfect shots and outshoot her in a playoff afterward. The good thing was that when she hit them, Tavorn would get the chance to vent her anger on Kylia's ass with her own paddle. She had seen her pet kiss Petra back and was going to make certain that Kylia fully understood how unacceptable that was.


	14. Sabine and Tavorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabine gets her chance to even up the score. Will Tavorn match it?

Kylia silently gave thanks that the last Miqo'te apparently never hit a bullseye. Things were going surprisingly well for her. Kylia thought she might be able to get away with maybe half a dozen more smacks to her ass before the night was over. But these hopeful thoughts were cut short as silence fell through the camp.

Kylia couldn't see who was shooting, but from the reactions of the Miqo'te around her, she thought that the shooter was not very popular. Kylia heard a quiet thrum and a smattering of claps around her. Was that a bullseye? Kylia couldn't tell. She heard several more thrums with half-hearted clapping following them. After the last thrum though, there was no clapping. Just some muttering and headshaking from what Kylia thought were some of Petra's more ardent fans.

The sound of a Miqo'te walking toward her in the silence made Kylia shiver. It was just possible that this Miqo'te might want a kiss too, but somehow she didn't think so. The Miqo'te stopped right next to her and bend down to whisper in her ear.

"I said I'd see you soon, sweetling." Sabine whispered to her.

Kylia let out a whimper as she tried to prepare herself. Sabine was going to make this as painful for her as possible, she knew it. When she felt Sabine lift the paddle from where it was resting on her, Kylia started squirming in earnest. Not five smacks. She couldn't take it!

*CRACK!*

Kylia shrieked loudly as the oak paddle connected with her ass with a sound like gunpowder going off. Sabine was only using one hand, but somehow it hurt far worse than any of the two-handed smacks she'd received so far. It couldn't have been more painful if the paddle was actually on fire.

*CRACK!!*

Kylia shrieked again as she strained at the ropes binding her. The pain from the second smack was worse than the first, and the thought that every smack would hurt more than the last was enough for Kylia to try to get out of the harness. But Kylia was exhausted and had very little strength to begin with, so the ropes continued to hold her in the same defenseless position.

*CRACK!!*

Tears sprung forth as Kylia shrieked again. The pain from her burning ass so completely dominated her thoughts that there was room for nothing else in her mind. 

*CRACK!!*

The fourth smack sent another, larger wave of agony into her mind. The pain seemed like it was wrapping around her now and holding her tightly. It was hard to even draw breath with the feeling of being suffocated by it.

*CRACK!!!*

The final smack hurt worse than any before, but the knowledge that it was at least the last one, for now, wormed it's way past the billowing agony Kylia felt. She let out a quieter, more ragged shriek as the pain crested and started to fall. Her ass felt like it had been roasted over a cookfire, Kylia knew from past experience that it felt far worse than it looked. It was likely just a deep red.

"Now that was fun. Think of all the other fun things we'll get to do later, sweetling. I'll see you soon, that's a promise." Sabine said to her, clearly relishing the thought of making Kylia suffer more.

 

Tavorn did not react to the sounds of her pet shrieking. Sabine had also scored five straight bullseyes. That meant that the pressure to match it was higher than ever, and Tavorn couldn't afford to go to pieces. She tried her best to ignore Kylia and focused on keeping her breathing steady. It was curious how hearing her pet making agonized shrieks was somehow easier to handle than to see a Miqo'te kissing her, but Tavorn had no time to think about that right now.

The camp was still quiet. Many of the Miqo'tes there had uncomfortable looks on their faces. Perhaps they didn't like the way Sabine's sadistic enjoyment of Kylia's pain compared to their own desire to make her suffer. Most of the Miqo'tes there didn't think they were like Sabine at all, but maybe they weren't as different from her as they assumed.

The Miqo'te that was to shoot before her suddenly bowed out. Tavorn's eyebrows rose as Quinn, a younger member that previously had been quite eager to compete, returned her bow to its place on her shoulder and stepped out of line.

"Um, sorry. Stomachache." Quinn said to Mirra, not looking at anyone.

Tavorn watched at Quinn took her seat. She heard muttering around the camp as the Miqo'tes there spoke among themselves at this new development, but Tavorn didn't care. It was just one less threat for her to deal with.

Tavorn walked up to the place where thirteen other Miqo'tes had stood that night. The target, 70 meters away, seemed like it was smaller than the one she had been practicing on. But that had to be a trick of the light. It was daytime when she had been practicing and it was night now. The straw target was lit up on both sides by torches, and the way the fire moved made the target seem to shift ever so slightly as well. She took a very deep breath before nocking an arrow to her bow. Tavorn let the air out of her lungs just before loosing and was relieved to see it hit the bullseyes dead center.

A smattering of polite applause came from the Miqo'tes seated. Tavorn knew she wasn't much loved by the camp, but she was respected. Many of the members had their skills honed by Tavorn herself. If she wasn't the kindest instructor, well, Tavorn herself hadn't had the kindest instruction. It had made her more skilled than she would be if she'd been mollycoddled and Tavorn did her best to make every recruit grow as far as their natural talent would allow.

Except for Kylia. Something about the blonde-haired Miqo'te drew Tavorn to her. Kylia had no business being a Coeurlclaw, in fact, her pet was so hopelessly unskilled and untalented that she would probably be a failure at any job she tried. Tavorn did do her best to push Kylia, but when it became apparent to all that Kylia was simply never going to make it, Tavorn had already become obsessed with her. Something about the blonde-haired Miqo'te's weakness and timidity made Tavorn want to, well, want to what? Hurt her? Dominate her and enslave her? 

The second and third shots were just as smooth as the first. Both hit the bullseye, which caused louder applause around Tavorn. But she could barely hear them, lost in thought and automatic motion as she was.

Tavorn had no choice. It was Mirra's fault. The gang leader would not allow Kylia to continue wasting the time of her instructors when it was clear that she was never going to improve. Mirra wouldn't let Kylia stay as Tavorn's paramour either. No one could be allowed to sit around and feed off of the gang's resources while contributing nothing herself. Besides, only members and prospective members were allowed within the camp. It drove new recruits to succeed and built up camaraderie. Anybody outside the gang was a stranger and an enemy, and everyone inside it was a trusted comrade. In theory.

Nor would Mirra have allowed Kylia to leave. The failed recruit would have detailed knowledge of the Coeurlclaw camp, not to mention their current numbers. Mirra probably would have killed Kylia rather than let her fall into the hands of the Redbellys or the Wood Wailers. Approaching her with the idea of turning Kylia into the ancient position of Prey to the Coeurlclaws was the only way for Tavorn to keep her alive. It dealt with the problem of Kylia not being a productive member of the gang by turning her into property. Kylia would no longer be a person. Rather, she would become an object no different than a sack of Buffalo Beans. At least to everyone but Tavorn.

The fourth and fifth shots sunk smoothly into the red bullseye at the center of the target, and the applause as they did so was quite loud. Apparently, the Miqo'tes who were lukewarm about Tavorn at least preferred her to Sabine. Tavorn did not bother bowing to the applause or acknowledge it in any way. Kylia was what mattered. Her pet needed to be disciplined for her previous indiscretion.


	15. Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stakes get higher at the contest gets more difficult

Kylia despaired as the Miqo'tes around her cheered. She didn't think she had the strength to take another paddling without passing out. Not that passing out would be any help. No doubt if Kylia did, it would only mean being woken up by a bucket of water being dumped over her head.

She couldn't see the Miqo'te walking toward her, but the sound of her walk seemed familiar to Kylia. Was it Tavorn? After kissing Petra back, Kylia was very apprehensive about what her mistress might do to her. Ordinarily, Kylia would have let out a plaintive whine to greet Tavorn, but honestly, she didn't have the energy to do anything more than lie there in her bonds. Just staying awake was all Kylia was able to do at the moment.

 

Tavorn stalked over to Kylia, not knowing exactly how she felt right now. Kylia had to be severely discouraged from showing attraction to other Miqo'tes, but Tavorn didn't really want to hurt her. She wanted to hurt Petra and Sabine. Neither of them was helplessly trussed up in front of her, however. Tavorn needed an outlet for her anger, and Kylia's red ass was tempting her mightily.

Tavorn snatched up her oak paddle. She didn't know exactly how many times she was going to smack Kylia, but it was definitely going to happen. Tavorn bent down to talk in Kylia's ear. Her pet was not the sharpest tool in the drawer, so Tavorn had to make sure she understood just why she was being punished.

"It was wrong of you to kiss that Miqo'te, pet. I want you to think about what you did." Tavorn hissed quietly into Kylia's ear.

Tavorn expected a pathetic whine or a squirm in response, but Kylia simply laid there in the same position Tavorn had tied her in hours ago. Was her pet ignoring her? Tavorn's anger spiked. She moved around in front of the harness and grabbed a fistful of Kylia's hair.

To her surprise, Kylia only let out a whisper of a whine in response. It looked like her pet was barely staying conscious. Tavorn slowly let go of Kylia's hair and stood up. The punishment could wait. Sometimes she forgot how weak and soft her pet was.

Well, that was just one more reason why she had to win. Sabine had absolutely no pity within her, and protecting Kylia from Sabine was paramount now. As uneasy as Tavorn was about Petra's designs for her pet, Kylia's safety had to be Tavorn's first priority.

"Some other time then, pet. Save your strength." Tavorn said as kindly, and as quietly, as she could as not to be overheard.

Both Sabine and Petra were watching her actions with interest. It would be difficult for Tavorn to pretend that Kylia meant little to her now, but there was nothing she could do about that. Tavorn left her paddle resting on Kylia's upturned ass before returning to the line. She ignored the gaze of anyone who might have been looking at her.

 

Kylia felt inexpressible relief when Tavorn passed on paddling her. She still had the weight of Tavorn's oak paddle resting on top of her butt to remind her that her punishment was only delayed, not rescinded. But Kylia was grateful for any mercy she could get.

"Congratulations to our three finalists. We will now move the target back 30 meters, and each of them will get five shots again." Mirra called out.

Kylia blinked, trying to understand what she just heard. They were doing it again? Why? And who were the three finalists? Kylia felt like that was something she should have known, but the fog building in her head was preventing her from remembering. 

 

Tavorn silently cursed her own stupidity. Not once had she tried to practice with the target further away than 70 meters. This was bad for Tavorn and for her pet. It wasn't the end of the world, but Tavorn knew her chances of winning were slipping.

Petra confidently stepped forward and unlimbered her bow. Her fan club started clapping even before she drew her first arrow. If Petra was distracted by this, she showed no sign. And indeed, Petra sank one shot after another into the red bullseye of the target at the far edge of the meadow.

Tavorn grimaced at the complete ease Petra had shown in hitting five more bullseyes. Many Miqo'tes clapped, cheered, and whistled when the last one hit. Tavorn mentally girded herself for whatever reward Petra would want from her pet, but was surprised when Petra made no move towards Kylia.

"I'd say we can dispense with toying with the Prey. What do you say?" Petra asked them.

"And give up the chance to paddle her again? Why would I?" Sabine responded, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll be able to paddle her as much as you want if you win. But maybe you don't feel very confident about that..." Petra said, trailing off with a wink.

"Your taunts are so very amusing, Petra. I'll make sure to give the Prey an extra hard smack, just for you." Sabine said in a faux sweet tone.

"Yes, we can dispense with the paddling." Tavorn said gruffly, looking at Mirra.

Mirra looked at all three of them and nodded. The majority ruled, apparently. Sabine tossed her hair in annoyance and pushed past Petra to take her turn. With an ease similar to what Petra showed, Sabine sank one arrow after another into the bullseye of the target 100 meters away. Predictably, there were few cheers to be heard. Tavorn was ready to stand in front of Sabine if the magenta-haired Miqo'te made any attempt to go towards Kylia. But Sabine simply smiled at Tavorn before returning to the line.

Tavorn stepped up to the shooting spot, trying to convince herself that the target was not so much smaller than it was last time. Tavorn unlimbered her bow and nocked an arrow. After several deep breaths, she loosed. To her immense relief, it was a bullseye. With Tavorn's confidence returned, the next four shots hit their target as well. Polite applause surrounded Tavorn, and she realized there was a sheen of sweat on her that hadn't been there before. Hopefully, no one could tell. Tavorn glanced over at Kylia, but her Prey was hanging motionless in her bonds. Whether she was conscious or not, it was impossible to tell.

"Very good. We will be moving the targets to 130 meters away this time." Mirra announced calmly.

Tavorn barely controlled the shudder that went through her. She had never practiced such extreme range archery in her life. Neither Petra nor Sabine seemed pleased at this development either. Petra caught Tavorn's eye and casually walked over to her.

"How are you holding up?" Petra asked lightly.

"...I'm fine. Worry about yourself." Tavorn said gruffly, after a pause.

"Oh, but I am worrying. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep this up." Petra said, shaking her head.

"What a pity." Tavorn responded curtly.

"I was thinking...neither of us wants to see the Prey get hurt, right? I wouldn't want that cutie to fall into Sabine's hands any more than you do." Petra said, lowering her voice.

Tavorn said nothing. What was Petra getting at?

"So how about we maximize our chances? If either of us wins, we'll share the Prey tonight. What do you say?" Petra asked, looking at Tavorn with a smile.

Tavorn almost voiced the automatic refusal that was her first reaction to Petra's suggestion. Tavorn hated the thought of letting Petra get any closer to Kylia. But in all honesty, Tavorn had serious doubts about her ability to win this contest. If agreeing to this meant that she would at least keep Petra from being alone with her pet...

Tavorn made a face as if she had just bitten into an Abalathian Bitterling. Petra only smiled at her again. After taking a few moments to beat down her pride, Tavorn extended her hand stiffly. Petra shook it and casually walked to the shooting spot.

Petra took her time now. 130 meters required angling the shot, and Petra made certain of the wind speed and direction before loosing. To the dismay of her fans, it only hit the edge of the target. Petra frowned for the first time this night before adjusting her aim. The next shot hit closer to the center but was still off. Her fans looked somewhat apprehensive now, and Tavorn herself was unsure whether she wanted Petra to fail or not.

To the relief of the consternated Miqo'tes watching, Petra's next shot hit the bullseye dead center. Plenty of clapping broke out, which increased in volume as Petra nailed her fourth and fifth shot. Petra did not bow this time and returned to the line with a dissatisfied shake of her head. Sabine smirked at her before moving to take Petra's place.

Sabine also took her time before shooting. As soon as Sabine was satisfied by her knowledge of the wind, she loosed an arrow with a confident smile. A smile that vanished when the arrow flew a yard to the left of the target. There was some very quiet jeering that stopped as soon Sabine looked back at the Miqo'tes seated on the ground.

Sabine ground her teeth for a moment before adjusting her aim. Her second shot was much better, though it landed just outside the red bullseye. To Tavorn's dismay, Sabine's third, fourth and fifth shots were perfectly on target. There was no cheering to be heard when Sabine finished. The magenta-haired Miqo'te acted supremely unconcerned, but Tavorn though she could detect a great deal of relief in Sabine's face.

Tavorn passed Sabine on her way to the shooting area and neither of them looked at each other. The tension they were all feeling was far too high to bother with insults now.

The target looked absolutely tiny from where Tavorn was standing. How in the blazes had either of them hit it, let alone score three bullseyes a piece? Well, if they had done it, it must be possible. Tavorn licked a finger to test the wind, just as they had. The wind was coming from the south, but she couldn't tell how strong it really was. Although Tavorn's archery skills were nothing to sneeze at, she was always more of a fighter than an archer. This kind of ultra-long range archery was something she had no experience with.

Tavorn did her best to aim where she thought the arrow would land and shot. She was hoping to just hit the target, which would help her aim the next shot. Unfortunately, it missed even wider than Sabine's first attempt. Tavorn could hear groans around her and tried to put them out of her mind. She adjusted her aim and shot another arrow.

This one hit the target! It was high and to the left, but it was something. Tavorn adjusted her aim slightly, taking a few deep breaths before loosing it.

The arrow hit the target, but just outside the red bullseye in the center. Tavorn's next two shots were now meaningless because she could no longer match the scores of the other two. Tavorn hung her head as she heard sympathetic groans around her. That, and sardonic clapping that could only be coming from Sabine. Ordinarily, that would be more than enough to set her off, but Tavorn was too saddened and disappointed with herself to care.

Tavorn walked over to where Kylia was still trussed up at the edge of the camp, dropping her bow halfway there. She didn't care about the fact that everyone was watching her because her actions no longer mattered anyway. Tavorn just wanted to stroke her pet's hair for a little while and wait for the results of the contest that was now down to Petra and Sabine.


	16. The Winner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's down to Petra and Sabine!

Kylia was distantly aware that someone was next to her. Thinking about who it might be was too difficult right now. It was much easier to just lie in the same bound position she had been in for...how long? It didn't really matter. Kylia wondered why she had ever thought it was uncomfortable. Sure, her hands were bound behind her. But why did she need to use her hands anyway?

Fingers were moving through her hair and it felt quite nice. They seemed to be fiddling with the metal clip in her hair, which was the only thing keeping her head up currently. What was going to happen if the clip was released? Would she fall? Kylia wasn't sure. Well, the clip was definitely loosening.

The sharp, sudden pain in her back as she fell forward made Kylia's eyes fly open. The fog in her head was gone, but in its place was fierce pain emanating from her lower back. The hours Kylia had spent bound with her back arched had warped something there. Kylia gave a loud whine as the unknown Miqo'te behind her started untying her wrists.

"Shhhh. Just lie still" Tavorn told her quietly.

That was the problem. Lying still was painful for her now. Kylia squirmed around as best she could to relieve her back, only to receive a not-so-gentle smack to her ass.

"I said to lie still. Do you want that paddling now?" Tavorn asked her, a trace of annoyance in her voice.

Kylia let out another whine and stayed still, despite the fierce pain she was feeling. Tavorn finished untying her wrists and started to rub them. Kylia winced as the feeling came flooding back to her hands. It was like having her foot fall asleep, but magnified greatly.

By now, Kylia was no longer tied to the harness, but she made no move to get off the log. Tavorn hadn't given her any indication that she could do so. So Kylia continued to lie over it with her ass in the air, trying to keep herself still as her mistress ordered. The pain in her back wasn't going away, though. Kylia had to wonder how she was going to tell Tavorn about her back when she was forbidden to speak, and currently, forbidden to move.

 

  
Tavorn frowned at Kylia. Her pet was acting oddly fussy. Tavorn expected gratitude from Kylia when she untied her from the harness. Instead, all Tavorn got was a bunch of whining. She was tempted to quiet her pet down with a smack or two of the paddle but decided to try to be a little more forbearing. Unless it resulted in her pet getting disobedient.

"The next round will be moved back to 150 meters." Mirra called out.

Tavorn returned her attention to the competition. Petra and Sabine were speaking to each other. Suspicion rose within Tavorn, who wondered just how far she could trust Petra. Was the silver-haired Miqo'te making the same kind of deal with Sabine that she had made with Tavorn? Or were they just taunting each other? They stopped speaking fairly quickly. Tavorn didn't hear what was said and could only try to judge the situation based on the expressions of either Miqo'te. Neither of them was smiling or showing any sign of relaxing. That was good, though Tavorn was no by means ready to let her guard down.

The target had been moved back and Petra stepped up to shoot. Many of the Miqo'tes around her began to whisper to each other excitedly. Clearly, Petra had many fans here. Including possibly Kylia. Her pet was whining again, and the sudden spike of annoyance Tavorn felt as she remembered Petra kissing her pet, and more importantly, her pet kissing Petra back, made Tavorn smack Kylia's ass hard with her hand.

"Quiet! If I have to say it again, you'll get your punishment and then some." Tavorn hissed at Kylia.

Her pet went silent, and that allowed Tavorn to return her attention to the competition. Petra had nocked an arrow to her bow, raised it to fire in an arc, and loosed. Unfortunately, the arrow fell a few meters short of the target. But Petra showed no irritation. Apparently, her first shot was only supposed to give her a better idea of the range she needed to hit. The silver-haired Miqo'te shot another arrow into the darkness, and this one hit the target. Far from the bullseye in the center, but it was still impressive. Tavorn realized now that she never really had a chance to win. Petra's archery put everyone else in the camp, with the exception of Sabine and Mirra, to shame.

Petra's third shot hit closer to the bullseye. Her fans seemed to be in deep suspense. Tavorn wasn't sure if the young Miqo'tes around her were even breathing as Petra lined up her fourth shot. Petra loosed it and Tavorn heard a minor storm of cheering break out around her as it sank into the red bullseye that could barely even be seen from this distance. The camp seemed almost unanimous in backing Petra, and from her new vantage point in the crowd, Tavorn could see that it might be getting to Sabine. The magenta-haired Miqo'te was stone-faced. The applause from the audience of sitting Miqo'tes rose as Petra hit another bullseye on her fifth shot, and Sabine's expression went from stoic hostility to pure hatred.

Sabine stalked toward the shooting area while Petra was bowing to her fans in the crowd. For some reason, Tavorn felt the need to call out a warning to Petra, and some of her younger fans actually did. Petra turned around and looked calmly at Sabine. Petra's hand drifted casually to where her dagger was sheathed and Tavorn couldn't blame her. She would have already drawn her weapons if a Miqo'te was walking toward her with the kind of hatred that was on Sabine's face. The magenta-haired Miqo'te's path took her extremely close to Petra as she walked past and it was clear as day that Sabine was trying to intimidate her. Petra, to her credit, did not move away.

Sabine stepped up to the shooting area and unlimbered her bow. Tavorn could see Sabine's grip on her bow was like iron, and briefly wondered if her own anger was that obvious to other people. Tavorn liked to think she hid her anger well, but maybe she was just kidding herself.

Sabine shot an arrow into the darkness, seemingly using her first shot to judge the distance. Unlike Petra's, her arrow traveled several meters over the top of the target. Her next shot also went above the target, and Tavorn could see Sabine visibly trying to get a hold of herself. After a few moments of breathing exercises similar to the ones Tavorn used, Sabine shot her next arrow. This one just barely hit the edge of the target. The premature celebration coming from some of the more inexperienced Petra fans around her quieted. Sabine took quite a long time before letting go with her fourth shot. The Miqo'tes around Tavorn once again forgot to breathe as the arrow flew, and many groaned as the fourth arrow hit the bullseye. Tavorn hissed in annoyance as Sabine gave a shaky smile. Every bullseye shot so far had resulted in a bullseye afterward, so most of the Miqo'tes around her seemed to have accepted the inevitable.

Except Sabine's fifth shot, delivered with quite a bit of confidence on her part, did not hit the bullseye. The arrow landed just outside it. There was a moment of shocked silence, and then a wave of clapping, whistling and cheering spread through the Miqo'tes watching. Tavorn herself felt a sense of bittersweet satisfaction. She supposed that Petra winning was better than the alternative, but it certainly didn't bring Tavorn any happiness.

Sabine hadn't moved. She was looking at the target at the far, far edge of the meadow with a curiously blank expression. The magenta-haired Miqo'te slowly lowered her bow and looked around. Tavorn had no pity for her. She would have returned the same sardonic clapping Sabine had given her, but Sabine wasn't worth Tavorn's time now. Evidently, the Miqo'tes around her agreed, because no one else was paying Sabine the slightest attention anymore.

"Congratulations, Petra. That was most impressive. Your reward for the night is the Prey. Enjoy." Mirra said, her barely audible voice once again slicing through the chatter around her.

Here it came. Tavorn felt something drop into the pit of her stomach as she saw Petra turn her attention to them both. The silver-haired Miqo'te walked toward them with a smile as most of the watching Miqo'tes grew silent. Tavorn wasn't entirely sure how this was going to work, considering their deal. Would Petra even honor it? Tavorn doubted that Mirra would care enough to do anything about it if Petra acted as if nothing was said.

"Let's go to my tent. Carry that cutie for me, Tavorn, if you'd like to come." Petra said expectantly.

Tavorn frowned but did as she was asked. There were scattered whisperings around Tavorn as she lifted Kylia up and laid her pet over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Kylia's various bells rang prettily as she was moved, but her pet decided to ruin the noise by whining again. Once more Tavorn smacked her ass into silence. She picked up her oak paddle, returned it to her belt, and wondered just how this night was going to go.


	17. Meeting Petra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luckily for Kylia, Petra has won her for the night.

Kylia tried to keep as quiet as she could, even when every step Tavorn took sent a new knife of pain through her back. Complaining was useless, as any sound Kylia made was met with a sharp smack to her sensitive ass. Tavorn was carrying her to a part of the camp that Kylia had never been to. Petra's tent was quite a ways away, which meant that Kylia had a long, painful journey over Tavorn's shoulder.

Kylia risked a very quiet sob of relief as Tavorn carried her into Petra's tent. Her relief was short-lived, however, as Tavorn wasted no time in dropping her onto Petra's soft bedroll. The pain from the fall was staggering to Kylia, who let out a loud whine despite herself.

"What's wrong with her?" Petra asked, frowning down at Kylia.

"I'm not sure. She's usually more obedient. Maybe she's overdue for a paddling." Tavorn said, shaking her head.

Kylia desperately pointed at her back, trying to forestall Tavorn's oak paddle. Petra bent down and looked closely at Kylia. She ran her hands carefully over the area around Kylia's spine and zeroed in on the place the pain was radiating out from.

"She has a slipped disc. Feel the little nub here where it's poking out a bit." Petra said, pointing at the affected area.

Tavorn ran her rather rougher hands over Kylia's lower back until she felt the protruding point. Kylia winced at Tavorn's heavy movements. The idea that Tavorn should have a light touch didn't seem to occur to the larger Miqo'te. Kylia could only hope that Petra would have some idea about what to do.

"It'll go away on its own, eventually. She'll be in a lot of pain until then, though. If you want, I can shift the disc back into place." Petra offered.

Tavorn didn't answer immediately. Kylia felt a sense of panic as the seconds passed. Tavorn wasn't really going to leave her like this, would she? Kylia gingerly crawled closer to Tavorn in order to kiss her leather boots in supplication. Tavorn let Kylia display her helplessness and submission for a short while before nodding.

"The delicate Prey can't handle a little pain, I guess." Tavorn said, looking at Kylia with amusement.

"Hold her shoulders then." Petra said, laying both of her hands on Kylia's lower back.

Tavorn bent down to hold her still. Kylia felt a thrill of fear at how much this was going to hurt, and she was not at all disappointed. With a quick but forceful motion, Petra pushed down on the nub on Kylia's lower back with both thumbs. The pain was like a bolt of lightning going through Kylia. It made her shriek very loudly. But after that, the pain vanished. Aside from her aching muscles, Kylia's back didn't hurt at all anymore. She cautiously moved her hips from side to side and was extremely relieved that it caused her no pain at all.

"Show Petra your appreciation, pet." Tavorn ordered, letting Kylia's shoulders go.

Kylia quickly scrambled over to Petra and began kissing the silver-haired Miqo'tes boots. Petra laughed, but gave no sign that she wanted Kylia to stop. Like Tavorn, she seemed to enjoy having Kylia display her submission in front of her. Or maybe Petra just liked having her boots worshipped.

"Grateful little thing. I hope she knows how lucky she was tonight. I've seen what Sabine does to prisoners. She might not have been able to do any lasting damage to the Prey here, but our cutie here would have been in for an absolutely miserable night." Petra said, smiling down at Kylia.

Petra bent down and patted Kylia on the head before walking over to the table in the middle of the tent. She sat down at one of the chairs there, offered the other to Tavorn, and then leaned back in her chair. Petra extended her legs, crossed them at the ankles, and looked right at Kylia. Kylia took the hint and crawled, still on her hands and knees, over to Petra. The bells dangling from her nipples, belly button and clit tinkled prettily as she crawled. As soon as Kylia reached Petra, she began worshipping the silver-haired Miqo'tes boots once more.

"I have a few questions. What exactly did this poor cutie do to get saddled with Prey status?" Petra asked, looking down at Kylia with curiosity.

"She was a complete failure as a Coeurlclaw. We couldn't pass her and we couldn't let her go. This was the only way to keep her alive." Tavorn answered, looking at Kylia wistfully.

"The only way? I'm sure she could have had a nice life warming the bedrolls of our illustrious gang without all these tattoos and piercings." Petra said, cocking her head slightly.

"Mirra wouldn't allow it. By the traditions of the gang, the only Miqo'tes who can set foot in our camp are Coeurlclaw members. If she stayed, it could only be as property." Tavorn said shaking her head.

"Poor thing." Petra said in what seemed to be genuine sympathy.

Kylia whined softly at Petra's statement. Of course, Kylia refused to think of herself as the equivalent to a sack of beans. But she knew her situation was hopeless. For a variety of reasons, the bells attached to her piercings being the most obvious, Kylia knew she couldn't escape the camp. Trying to do so would only bring punishment. Disobeying orders, or pleading for mercy, or trying to fight? It would only bring pain. And avoiding pain as much as possible was now Kylia's sole focus. It was the reason why she was debasing herself in front of the two Miqo'tes sitting at the table above her.

"What's with the paddle, by the way? This cutie seems pretty obedient. Does she really need that?" Petra asked, reaching down to pat Kylia's head again.

"Absolutely. I can't tell you how many times I tried to instruct her on how to be a Coeurlclaw. It all went in one ear and out the other. She's only obedient because I've had it paddled into her. Pain is the one thing she really understands." Tavorn answered, fingering her oak paddle.

"Is that true, sweetie? You need Tavorn's mean paddle to teach you to be good?" Petra asked, lifting Kylia's chin to make her look Petra in the face.

Kylia whined, but gave a quick nod. She was once again caught in a no-win situation. If she agreed, that might give Petra the idea that Kylia needed to be paddled in order to be truly obedient to her. If she shook her head. it would anger Tavorn. It was the truth, though. Fear of Tavorn's oak paddle dominated her thoughts quite often. It was extremely effective at instilling total obedience on her part.

"If you insist. Slide it over to me, please." Petra said, extending her hand.

With a grumble, Tavorn pulled out the oak paddle and slid it across the table. Petra picked it up and examined it. The oak paddle had a number of holes drilled through it to make it swing through the air faster and make it hurt even more. Kylia whimpered and crouched lower on the ground. Petra looked at her, gave her a rueful smile, and pointed at her lap. Kylia whined but quickly crawled over Petra's lap.

It seemed that Kylia was in for a painful night regardless of who ended up winning her.


End file.
